Power Rangers Dino Super Charge- Betrayed
by SoaringEagle11
Summary: Kendall Morgan spirals through a terrible extent of treachery and deceit. During those times, she finds love in the most unexpected places and struggles to avoid many occurrences that could destroy everything she's worked for- especially the ones placing her life in fatal danger. (Rated M mainly for violence.)
1. Chapter 1- The Truth, Part I

As morning dawned on the city of Amber Beach, a peaceful aura settled over the town. Every person and being felt at peace- except one. A brown-haired girl with glasses darted through the grass in the shine of the early dawn, a briefcase grasped in her tan hand. Kendall glanced left and right, clearly lost, as she tried to find her way to the Amber Beach Museum. She had never stayed anywhere else before and didn't know where to go. She hadn't slept all night, so she was exhausted and could hardly walk.

"Where could it be?" Kendall wondered as she collapsed back against a tree. Her head hit the ground hard and she grunted with pain, biting her tongue so hard that she tasted blood. Irritated, she stood up again and grabbed the briefcase, her face hot with shame, hating to be seen like this. She took out her violet ponytail and let her dark hair cascade over her shoulder. Cautiously, she stepped forward.

"Miss Morgan?" A voice from behind her made her yelp with surprise as she spun around and lashed out at the young, dark-skinned girl behind her. Shelby gasped in shock as Kendall's fist struck her head and she fell.

"What do you think you're doing?" Shelby yelled angrily. She thrust her leg out and caught Kendall on the ankle, unbalancing her, and she slammed to the ground. Her glasses flew off and her head hit a root, making the world spin around her.

"Shelby..." Vision blurring, her eyes closed. Shelby stood over her, glaring. Then, she seemed to break out of her trance and leaned down beside the fallen scientist.

"Miss Morgan, I'm so sorry! Miss Morgan? Kendall! Say something!" She shook her gently. Kendall didn't stir.

"No sleep, huh?" Shelby rolled her eyes. She put her hand under Kendall and slung her arm around her shoulder, standing her up as she grabbed the briefcase and her glasses. The museum was right around the corner, so she staggered over to the dinosaur by it. The mouth opened and she managed to pick up Kendall and push her into the lab. She slid down the slide and lay motionless in a heap at the bottom. Shelby cautiously followed, careful not to step on the sleepy girl.

"What happened?" Kendall groaned as she vainly tried to sit up. Then she remembered. "Shelby, I'm sorry I hurt you. But you took me by surprise."

A hint of orange fire flared in Shelby's eyes. "Maybe I should just put you out of your misery now," she muttered.

"What did you say?"

Shelby pushed Kendall's glasses back onto her face as she got to her feet. When she did, she saw Prince Phillip entering the room from the other side. Shelby whispered something in his ear as he came closer to her. He nodded and the neutral look on his handsome face twisted into an evil grin.

"Prince Phillip?" Kendall nervously edged closer to him, astonished by the change in his expression. All of a sudden, his foot flashed out and hit her straight in the chest. She flew backwards and crumpled against the wall as she tried to register what had just happened. Were the Rangers turning against her? Did they want to protect the world, but destroy her too? She sat up and immediately, she felt pressure on her neck and suddenly, Prince Phillip and Shelby were pushing her up against the wall, holding her by the throat. Then Shelby's hand darted out and snatched the Purple Energem from the chain around her neck. Letting go of Kendall, she moved backwards and threw the Energem against the wall as hard as she could. To Kendall's horror, the gem shattered against the bricks.

"Why did you do that?" Kendall shouted.

Neither of them said a word, but instead morphed into the Pink and Graphite Rangers. They stuck their own Energems into their blasters and prepared to fire, the weapons quickly charging up.

"Please... no... don't do it..." But deep down, Kendall knew she couldn't stop it. These weren't her friends. These were not Shelby and Prince Phillip.

"Fire!"

Kendall squeezed her eyes shut and almost instantaneously, a gargantuan wave of agony overcame her as fire burned in her chest. She threw her head back and screamed, every inch of her body burning and her mind begging the torture to stop. Tears streamed down her face as the laceration overwhelmed her.

"Please..." she whispered. Her Energem had been destroyed, her energy was gone, her will to live was disappearing fast, and she had been betrayed by two of her closest friends. _I need to tell the others about this? But who knows if any of the other Rangers might be a part of this conspiracy too?_

"STOP!" she wailed. "You're hurting me! I can't take any more!"

The pain abruptly stopped and Kendall looked up. Her face paled when she saw that another Ranger had joined the traitors. It was Riley. "No..."

"That's not all, Miss Morgan," the Green Ranger snarled, preparing to fire his blaster, combined with the others. "Definitely not all."

"Don't hurt me!" Kendall gasped frantically.

Riley lowered the blaster, but instead rushed forward and grabbed her by the arm, twisting it hard, but not breaking it. Then he let go. Kendall cried out, overwhelmed by the agonizing pain and shame. It was too much to hope that it would be quick. They wanted her to suffer.

"Koda will be part of this too." Shelby smiled maliciously. "He will be here soon. The four of us will make sure you wish you'd never been born."

Kendall felt as if she'd literally been stabbed in the back with a sharp knife. She bit her lip and tasted blood. Shelby, Prince Phillip, Riley, and Koda, They all wanted her in pain. Or worse, possibly dead. Or maybe just scared. But she hated it any way.

Then Koda arrived, entering through the same door that the prince and Riley had used. He swaggered over to Riley, Shelby, and Prince Phillip, who greeted him heartily. Kendall gulped. Now she was really in trouble.

 _Is this the end? Am I destined to die at the hands of who I thought were my friends?_


	2. Chapter 2- The Truth, Part II

Koda gazed sternly down at Kendall. "Now you really will feel power of caveman strength!"

"This isn't him," Kendall murmured to herself. "They must be mind controlled or something. The real Graphite, Pink, Green, and Blue Rangers would never hurt me." She scrambled to her feet, but the four Rangers had surrounded her, blocking off any escape.

 _Unless..._

With all the strength she had left, she ran towards where Koda and Shelby had joined hands and broke the chain, catching them by surprise. Riley whirled around and fired another blast from his Dino Morpher, but Kendall dodged it narrowly, accidentally barreling into the table. She ignored the momentum and ran, tearing out the door and into the museum. She flew out of the museum too, desperate to get away. She had no more protection, not unless she managed to get to Tyler and his dad. The ground zoomed past beneath her in a blur.

"I have to keep going," she panted as she began slowing down. She cast a quick glance behind her. No one was there. "They'll come after me sooner or later."

"Or maybe we've already found you." Kendall skidded to a stop as Shelby's voice rang out in the air around her.

"Guys, just stop! I get it, you don't like me. But I don't deserve this!"

A bright violet light flashed in front of her and an outraged cry echoed through the air. Kendall looked up and saw Chase in front of her, morphed, with a blaster clasped in his hands. The light flashed again and Kendall gasped as Shelby fell into the dust and demorphed, laying motionless.

"Chase, thank you!" Kendall sighed, falling to her knees.

Chase demorphed himself and bent to help her up. "These aren't our friends," he told her. "They may be under some kind of spell to make them think that you're also the enemy, but we can't hurt them too." He glanced back at Shelby. "We'll deal with her later. But are you okay?"

"No," Kendall cried, leaning against Chase. "They... attacked me. It wasn't just Shelby and Riley. Prince Phillip and Koda were in on it too."

"What?" Chase drew back in horror, making Kendall stumble. "Prince Phillip attacked you?!"

"That wasn't the worst part, though."

"Then what was?"

Kendall took in a deep, shuddering breath. "They destroyed my Energem."

"What? Oh god..."

The Black Ranger morphed again and lifted Kendall into his arms. Kendall rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes as Chase carried her back towards the café. As they arrived, Chase demorphed. Ivan, James, and Tyler greeted them.

"What happened to Miss Morgan?" Tyler asked immediately. Chase hesitated, wondering if he should tell his friends.

"It's okay, you can tell us," Tyler's dad agreed.

Chase took a deep breath. "She was attacked by the Prince, Riley, Shelby, and Koda. I knocked out Shelby when she attacked again."

Tyler's eyes lit up with worry. "Shelby's a part of this?" He shook his head. "I thought she cared about Miss Morgan."

Chase stopped him. "But that's not the worst part."

"Then what is?"

Chase looked afraid. "Her Energem was destroyed."

"What?" James gasped. "That is really bad."

"Why?" Chase asked.

"First, Tyler, go find your girlfriend and see what's up with her. We'll stay here and help Miss Morgan," Ivan said. Tyler nodded and shot out the door.

"Now what is it?" Ivan questioned.

James gazed at Kendall nervously. "The Purple Energem was the only Energem that ended up being connected to the owner's life force. Unless the tie was properly severed, like the previous Purple Ranger had Keeper do to them, the Energem would remain bonded to the person's energy and life force. If the Energem was destroyed in any other way, that could mean trouble. If we don't figure out an alternate source to use, then..."

"Then what?" Chase anxiously shifted his grip on Kendall.

"...she could possibly die," James finished.

"What?" Ivan gulped.

"Why was the Purple Energem the only Energem that connected to life force?" Chase asked James.

"No one knows," James replied apprehensively. "But we need to help Kendall."

At that moment, Tyler rushed in, holding an unconscious Shelby tightly in his arms. A trickle of blood seeped out of her mouth and her arms were patterned with many bruises.

"She attacked again," he explained. "I had to fight back. It's like- she wasn't even in her own mind. The Shelby I know would never attack her friends. Especially me."

"Well, we just found out that Miss Morgan is in danger," Chase retorted. "She could apparently die without her Energem bonded to her."

Tyler gasped in shock and dropped Shelby, who hissed as she hit the ground. He ignored her. "She can't! We need her!"

Kendall moaned and raised her head. Her eyes widened as she spotted Shelby on the pavement. "Get her away from me!"

"Chill," Tyler placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll figure out what's wrong with her, but remember, she may not be in control of her own mind. She may be blameless."

"Maybe," Kendall snapped. "But because of her, I'm going to die! She shattered my Energem! I never asked to be the only one with a life force connection to my Energem!" Her voice began to crack as tears welled up in her eyes. "I was so happy being a Power Ranger until now, when I found out what happened when it's gone! And now, it'll all be gone!"

"Kendall, you're working yourself up too much," James sighed. "We'll find you an alternate way for you to stay alive."

"But Dad, nothing can replace an Energem," Tyler pointed out, "especially when it comes to something like this."

"On the contrary, Tyler," his dad responded. "If we could get hold of the other nine Energems, we may be able to restore the Purple Energem and revitalize her life force."

"Well, we got one." Kendall stretched her arm out and snatched Shelby's Energem from the chain around her neck. Shelby whimpered as the gem was yanked out of her grasp. Tyler took the Energem from her and gave it to his father.

"What about the others?" Ivan asked.

"We need to get Kendall to a safe place first," Chase murmured. "She needs us. Tyler, you and your dad can go get the other Energems. Kendall may not have much time left." Tyler nodded and James led his son out the door after giving Chase both of their Energems.

Chase looked down at the Red, Aqua, Pink, and Black Energems in his secure inside pocket as Ivan added his Gold one to the cluster. "We will keep Miss Morgan alive," he vowed. "We will not stop until she is well again or we perish trying to save her." Chase agreed.

Kendall glanced up at them as Chase started to carry her back to the lab, with Ivan following. She clung to him gently, silently begging him not to go back there, but he knew what he was doing. _No one will hurt her while I'm around,_ he vowed silently. _We will save you, Kendall. Just hold on tight._


	3. Chapter 3- Saving Kendall

When they finally got back to the lab, Kendall seemed worse than before. The pieces of her shattered Energem lay on the floor beside the back wall and as they got closer to them, it felt to her as if lightning was flashing through her. Chase temporarily passed her into the hands of Ivan and got out the medical equipment that they had once used when Shelby and Koda had each been injured and nearly killed. The last piece was the small bed, which the Black Ranger had some difficulty getting into the center of the room. At Chase's command, Ivan stepped forward and gently laid Kendall down on the leather-like bed. Kendall hissed as pain rushed through her body and thrust a hand to her chest.

"Everyone else is back in the museum. Why did you return so early?" Ivan jumped as he and Chase heard Zenowing's voice behind them. He and Keeper stepped out from the shadows. "Even we went on a nice stroll in thee forest together. What have you guys been up to?"

"We were betrayed," Chase snapped. "Shelby, Prince Phillip, Koda, and Riley attacked Miss Morgan and I rescued her when she tried to escape them. When Tyler went to see if something was wrong with Shelby, she attacked him and it's like they're not even in their own mind. We just found out that her Energem's been shattered and she's in danger."

"The Dark Energem cursed the Purple Energem many years ago and forced it to connect with its owner's life force," Keeper said thoughtfully. "Now that the bond has been severed in an improper way, the only way to restore it is-"

"We know!" Ivan cut in. "We need to combine the powers of the other nine Energems to restore the Purple Energem. We already have the Pink, Aqua, Black, Red, and Gold Energems, but we have no idea where the Prince, Koda, or Riley are."

Keeper nodded. "Then get to searching. Zenowing and I will watch over Kendall." Zenowing nodded as he added his Silver Energem with the others in Chase's pocket.

Chase stood over the former Purple Ranger and grasped her hand gently. "Will you be okay here while I'm gone?"

Kendall nodded weakly. "I'll be fine here. Just go." She lay back and closed her eyes as Ivan and Chase exited the lab and the museum. Shelby had disappeared.

"Where should we look first?" Ivan asked. "Do we know where Tyler and his dad have gone?"

"They went to the woods. Let's cover the rest of the city."

The street seemed to grow longer as they trekked across it. They had decided to search for Riley first, so they started at the baseball stadium. Riley loved baseball, even when he might be possessed, so it would be the best place to start.

The baseball stadium was huge, but completely empty. Not a soul was in sight. They searched every inch of the stadium, but Riley was not there. Disappointed, they returned to the street. But even after checking the rest of the city, they still hadn't found any of the other Rangers.

Chase contacted Tyler. "Have you found Koda, Riley, or Prince Phillip yet?"

"We found Koda, but he escaped. Then he yelled at us before he left. Something about how he was never going to let us take anything from him. I'd assume he meant the Energem. Let's return to the lab and check on Miss Morgan. Any luck with you?"

"No luck. Let's go." Chase broke into a run back towards the museum. Ivan followed at top speed as they made their way back to the museum, upset by their lack of progress. But as the four Rangers met up at the door to the museum, Tyler had a feeling that something was wrong. The secret lab was completely exposed.

"Do you have a bad feeling about what's happening?" James asked, voicing Tyler's fears as the door opened to let them into the museum.

"Yeah. One of us should have stayed behind," Chase agreed. "Come on." They rushed through the exhibits until the arrived at the elevator that led to their secret lab. Then they stepped in and let it take them down.

But when they stepped inside the lab, the sight in front of them made them freeze in shock. Part of the ceiling had collapsed and Zenowing and Keeper lay knocked out by the back. Keeper's staff had been thrown to the other side of the room. The desks and counters had been wrecked and wood and metal lay strewn across the dust. The middle of the room was entirely covered in destroyed inventions and the large pile was on fire. Tyler's dad quickly leaped forward and morphed, putting out the giant fire with a huge blast of water. Sparks flew from the pile as the fire dissipated into smoke.

"What the heck happened here?" Chase exclaimed frantically.

"The lab must have been attacked while we were gone!" Ivan gasped. "Wait... where's Miss Morgan?"

At once, Tyler, James, Ivan, and Chase stared together at the once-on-fire wood and metal pile in the center of the room.

"Kendall!" Chase shouted as he raced over to it and began pulling it apart. The others joined him, ripping apart steel and tossing it away, careful not to hit Keeper and Zenowing. Soon, it was all gone. The bed was smashed and Kendall's unmoving body lay burned in the middle of all the wreckage. Chase gently lifted her out, wincing at the sight.

"Is she okay?" Tyler asked worriedly.

"She's still breathing," Chase reported.

"Thank God," James breathed.

"Whoever attacked the lab went straight for her," Ivan murmured. "Where are her glasses?"

"Who cares about that?" Chase snapped. "She's bleeding, for heaven's sake!"

"What?" Tyler did a double take. A nasty slash had been cut through her shoulder, expanded by the fire. Scars and cuts crisscrossed her body from the collapse.

"Where are we going to stay now?" Ivan pointed out. "We have no place to bring Miss Morgan now and she might be in even more danger that before!"

"Look!" James gestured toward a small, unmarked machine in the back. "That was used to combine the powers of any Energems. We can still salvage that!"

"That's good, but where will we stay?"

"We can go to my house," Chase said. "They won't find us there. We can hide her."

Kendall's eyes flitted open and wildly glanced around. "Wh- what happened? Koda and Riley... they came in... then the lab collapsed..." Her entire body trembled with the effort of speaking. "I couldn't stop it... got attacked... can't breathe..." She clung on to Chase. "Please... help me..."

"We have to find help before we head to Chase's house," James murmured. "She's been fighting enough without this. Tyler, go grab the pieces of her Energem. We're going to need them."

Tyler nodded and went to fetch the Energem fragments, collecting them in a small, undamaged canister. He also grabbed the combining machine to use.

"Let's go to the doctor and get some medicine for her, then head to Chase's house," James said quickly. He ran over and helped up Zenowing and Keeper.

Chase gently carried Kendall out of the danger zone and she gasped in pain as he brushed against her shoulder. James reached out and slowly pressed against the wound. Kendall gritted her teeth as she tried not to scream and a few tears trickled down her cheek.

"I stand by my earlier vow," Chase declared. "I will save you or die trying." Kendall closed her eyes again and he listened softly to her gentle, but shaken breathing as he began to bring her to where she would soon gain her health back.


	4. Chapter 4- Bleeding For Love

The waiting room at the doctor's office was cold, empty, and blindingly white. A receptionist sat behind the desk, staring at the computer at the front. Her straight blond hair rustled slightly as she pushed her chair back a bit.

"Can I help you?" she inquired without looking up.

"We need your help. Now," Chase said sternly.

"It can't be that bad." The woman still didn't look up.

"You need to help us now!" Ivan barked angrily. Startled, the blond woman lifted her blazing green eyes to them and immediately caught sight of the injured Kendall.

"Fine," she growled unhappily. "Follow me." She pushed her chair back so it crashed into the wall and began to stalk down a hallway.

"We don't need this," Tyler whispered. "Let's just go. We can fix her up ourselves at Chase's house."

"Agreed." Deciding that the doctor would be no help, they headed back to Chase's house. But when they got there, a storm began to roll in and rain pelted down on them. The water raining on Kendall's wound caused the blood to flow even faster from the gash. A lightning bolt struck down between Chase and Tyler and Kendall cried out in fear. Chase sighed and raced inside the house. When they were upstairs, Chase gently laid Kendall on his bed and fetched a bunch of paper towels, pressing them up against her shoulder.

"Stop..." Kendall moaned. "That hurts!"

"Yes, stop," a voice hissed behind them. "That way, I can finish her."

Ivan, Chase, Tyler, and James spun around. A morphed Riley was standing right behind them, his Dino Morpher blaster pointing right at the Black Ranger and his wounded friend.

"Step away from her," he snarled. "Or I'll destroy all of you."

"No." Chase stood his ground. "You will not get anywhere near her."

"Get his Energem!" James whispered in Tyler's ear.

Riley struck fiercely, knocking Chase against the wall and smashing Tyler onto the floor. James leapt out of the way and flashed his fist out at Riley. The Green Ranger dodged and the Aqua Ranger's fist hit the wall right next to Chase's head. Riley pulled his sword out and held it directly over Kendall's chest, slowly pushing the point against the cloth of her white shirt.

"No!" Kendall blindly pushed the sword away and accidentally rolled off the bed in the process. She pushed herself to her feet, but was so unsteady that Riley pushed her right over again. However, she reached up and pulled the Green Energem out of his grasp, causing him to angrily demorph as she collapsed.

"Hey, don't touch that!" Riley spat. He picked her up and threw her against the other wall. Kendall shrieked in pain, but managed to hold on to the Energem. Riley stalked over to her again and slammed his foot down on her wrist. She tightened her grip on the Energem as the Green Ranger attempted to wrench it away from her. He eyes watered, but she didn't give it to him.

"Fine, then." Riley took his foot off her wrist and lifted her up again. Chase hurriedly took his Energem out of his pocket and morphed, then pointed his blaster at Riley. Riley laughed as Chase set it to full power, then fired. But his target merely darted out of the way and thrust Kendall in its path instead, then let her go. The huge blast collided with her, straight in the chest, sending her crashing into the wall again, but harder. Cries of agony echoed from her throat as she hit the floor. Chase shrank back in horror. _What have I done?_

"Great," Riley exclaimed cheerfully. "Now you've done it for me. You can keep my Energem..." He cast a look of hatred back at Kendall as he kicked her in the rib. "...but I'll be back for her... and you." He ran over to the window and smashed it open, sending glass flying to the floor, then leaped out, swinging on a tree branch and landing perfectly on the ground. Chase ignored him and demorphed.

"Dude, what did you do?" Tyler growled, standing up and rushing over to Kendall.

"I- I didn't mean to hit her!" Chase stammered. _God, did I just kill her?_

"She's not breathing!" Tyler gasped.

"Try CPR on her," James suggested. "That may work."

Tyler nodded and anxiously pushed down on her chest a few times, then pause to listen for breath. When it didn't come, he repeated the process. The results were unyielding, so Tyler took a deep breath and then opened her mouth and kissed her, breathing air back into her. He continued that for a few minutes, then pulled back and pressed down on her chest again, listening again for breath. This time, a faint kernel of hope blossomed up inside him. _She's not dead. She can't be dead!_

Then a faint whisper of breath answered him. She was alive! Tyler shook her gently and her eyes slowly opened.

"T- Tyler?"

"Miss Morgan, you're alive!" Tyler gently hugged her.

"Tyler, th- thank you."

Chase pushed past his father and Ivan and threw himself down beside Kendall. "Miss Morgan, you're okay!"

"Ch- Chase..."

"I am so sorry. I should have been more careful. Instead, I almost killed you!"

"Chase, it wasn't... your... fault." Her voice was shaking from being saved from almost dying.

"At least we got one more Energem." Ivan gently pried the Green Energem from her hand and deposited it in Chase's pocket with the others.

"But it was," Chase protested. "I would never forgive myself if I killed you." He inhaled a heavy breath of air. "I love you."

Kendall's gaze met his and she seemed very surprised. Then her eyes flooded with understanding and undeniable affection. "I love you too."

"Aw, Chase," Tyler sighed. "That was so sweet."

"But she's not yet out of danger," James pointed out. "We still need the Blue and Graphite Energems to restore the Purple Energem."

"However, we don't know where Koda or Prince Phillip are," Ivan pointed out. "Every moment we wait, her time gets shorter."

"And she's still bleeding, you know," James said as he knelt down by them with a roll of gauze and wrapped up Kendall's shoulder with it. She let out a few squeaks, but held still as her wound was patched up.

"Ivan, why don't you and Tyler come search for the other two Energems with me?" he asked. "Chase can stay here with Kendall."

"Good," Kendall sighed happily.

"Let's go now," Ivan said as he winked at Chase. "We'll leave them alone." He pulled both Tyler and James out with him as he exited the room. Chase picked up Kendall and laid her back on the bed, then pulled the dark blankets over her.

"I could never be in danger with you around." Kendall stared at Chase admiringly. Chase gently kissed her on the cheek.

"Love means never letting go of the ones you care about," he declared, stroking her hair as he placed her glasses on his nightstand. "It also means never giving up on them and doing everything you can to help them."

"I promise I'd do the same if I was in your position," Kendall murmured lovingly. "But whatever happens, I will never let you go."


	5. Chapter 5- Graphite Danger

The warm, sunny air was crisp and cold, making Ivan, Tyler, and James shiver as they ventured out into it.

"Let's search for Prince Phillip now," Ivan suggested. "We can check the place where the council usually meets. The one with the archway made of tough, marble shells."

"Speaking of that, whatever happened to Shelby?" Tyler asked. "She just disappeared."

"We can keep a lookout for her while we're searching," James replied.

"Okay." Tyler looked a bit sad. "But before she betrayed Kendall, and even after that, I feel the same way about her that Chase does about who he just confessed for."

James patted his son on the shoulder. "She'll be fine. But we have more to worry about than her. As far as we know she's not in any immediate danger right now."

Tyler nodded. "Okay."

Ivan led the way as they continued on down the street toward the council meeting place belonging to the embassy of Zandar. Along the way, they kept an eye out for Shelby, but no sign of her ever came up. When they got there, they immediately went into sneak mode.

"How can we get in without being seen?" Tyler asked his dad.

"I don't know," he answered. "We can try the back. There might be an opening there."

Tyler felt chills all along his spine as they slowly edged around the wall. If this failed and they had to retreat, they would have to run back to Chase's house to fetch their Energems, which would put Kendall in more danger than ever. She had enough problems already without another attack. However, that led to another question floundering around in his mind. Why had the Dark Energem picked the Purple Energem to curse and left the others alone? If it had picked another Energem or not cursed any of the Energems, they wouldn't be in this horrible mess. But as long as Kendall wasn't completely protected by all of them, she was entirely vulnerable. They would just have to hope that Chase would protect her.

 _Cut it out, Tyler!_ The Red Ranger snapped back to reality as his father motioned for him to follow them into the embassy. _I just hope this will work._

The back door was just the right size to fit each of them. As they slowly slipped inside, the hall grew wider, and many doors could be seen on the side. Four on the left, three on the right. At the end of the hallway, a curve went to the right in place of another door.

"Wait, I know this place," Ivan whispered, pushing in front of them. "The second and third doors on the left and right are decoys, designed to confuse thieves. They lock the second you close them behind you and lead to endless darkness. The fourth door on the left doesn't lead to anywhere I know about, but the first door on the right leads to Prince Phillip's office. We can start there, then search the Council office in the other first door."

"You're a genius, Ivan," Tyler exclaimed.

"Let's just hope it doesn't backfire," James said as they filed into the office.

Everything about the office seemed dark and bleak. The metal-like desk and overhead lights seemed sinister. There was also no one in sight.

"Start looking, he could be anywhere," Tyler murmured quietly.

"Or right here," the Prince growled, materializing in front of them and morphing. "Where are your Black and Purple friends? I thought they would come with you."

Anger flared in Tyler's eyes. "Did you really expect that we'd tell you?"

"I know you wouldn't. But I do know that you extracted an Energem from the one I sent after you. He told me everything, including their location. I guess you didn't know me as well as you thought," he added, noticing their startled faces.

"We'll do the same to you that we did to Riley!" James roared.

"I think not. You will tell me what you're trying to get the Energems for and in exchange..." He glanced at Tyler and the Red Ranger was sure that he was glaring at him from under his helmet. "... I will tell you what has happened to Shelby."

"What?" Tyler gasped. He leaned forward to speak to the others. "Guys, we have to do it. She's in danger, I know it."

"I agree," Ivan said. "But if we tell him, he'll stop us from getting his Energem and Koda's."

"Tyler might be right, though," James pointed out. "From the way he's talking, he may have been manipulating Shelby the whole time just to destroy Kendall's Energem, then done something else to her. We need to tell him."

"Fine." Ivan glanced at him angrily. "The combined powers of the other Energems will be able to revitalize the Purple one, so we're trying to get all the Energems ack so we can combine their powers."

"Thank you, Rangers," Prince Phillip laughed. "As for your friend..."

"Where is she?" Tyler snapped.

"If you haven't already guessed, I was controlling her mind the whole time. If you want to know what happened to her, see for yourself." Prince Phillip raised his hand and all of a sudden, the Rangers' vision changed and the Prince disappeared, replaced by a dark image of the woods. In the vision, Tyler peered closer and gave a gasp of surprise. The light form of Shelby was blindly running through the dark forest, slowing down with every step. Suddenly she cried out, falling to the ground as a gunshot rang out through the air, then the landscape collapsed beneath her, burying her beneath the soil.

Tyler snapped out of his vision. "The Prince is gone!"

"And Shelby's in trouble!" Ivan added. "We have to go get her!"

"But there's hundreds of acres of forest out there!" James protested. "We'll never find her!"

"Yes, we will. She's near where your box of memories is buried. I saw it." Tyler couldn't resist a grin. Ivan did always have the sharpest eyes.

"Lead the way, Tyler," his dad declared.

Tyler knew the way to the chest by heart. By the time they got there, the sun was just starting to set. James glanced around. "Where is she?"

"No idea," Ivan murmured.

"Wait." Tyler looked around. "I remember this. Look!"

Laying a few yards away from where the box was buried was Shelby's name tag, with the faint outline of a triceratops on it.

"Shelby!" Memories of Kendall being buried in the flaming pile of wood flooded through his mind and he shook them away. "I won't let the same thing that happened to Miss Morgan happen to her!" He got down on his knees and began scraping at the dirt with his hands, not caring about the sticks digging into his skin. Ivan and James flanked him, also digging in the dirt. Tyler gasped as his hand hit something that felt like skin. He grasped it completely and drew back in horror as Shelby's arm came into view. He reached deeper and soon, they uncovered Shelby's body completely. James checked over it and found no trace of wounds other than scars.

"Whoever shot at her must have missed, but she fell into the trap," he reported. "She's fine. I think we got her out before her captor came back."

"Where did Prince Phillip go anyway?" Tyler asked as he lifted Shelby out of the dust.

At that moment, James's communicator began beeping like crazy. He took it out and held it up for all of them to see. It was Chase.

"Guys, get back here quick!" he gasped out. "Prince Phillip just broke into the house and left. I tried to fend him off, but I couldn't. He didn't take any of the Energems, but he got Kendall!"

"We're on our way!" Ivan shouted. "We've got Shelby too. Tyler will bring her back to your house while you join us to get Miss Morgan back!"

James shut off the communicator as Tyler grabbed Shelby and lifted her off the ground. "Let's go!" They took off running, Tyler rushing to the front, as they made their way back to civilization and hit the streets.

And down at the other end of the street, racing through the sunset light, was Prince Phillip, with Kendall's body clutched roughly in his arms. Right behind him, hot in pursuit, was Chase, panting heavily as he ran after the Prince. His face temporarily turned towards the other Rangers.

"Help me!" he yelled desperately. "We can't let him get away! He's going to kill her!"


	6. Chapter 6- Hearts Entwined

Without thinking, Ivan and James darted down the street, joining Chase in the pursuit of the unmorphed Graphite Ranger. He flew down the road, dodging cars and trees, but keeping his grip tight on his captive. Kendall screamed in outrage as she was harshly taken into the night, but was powerless to escape him.

"Stop him!" Ivan shouted.

"Guys, morph!" Chase yelled, throwing the Gold and Aqua Energems at them and taking the black one for himself. "Energize!"

With the new burst of speed, the three Rangers caught up to Prince Phillip just as he ran across the bridge stretching along the ocean. Unfortunately, the Prince also morphed and put on his own speed boost. However, the Rangers still began catching up to him again. Finally, Ivan sped up again and jumped in front of Phillip, blocking his way. But he dodged around the Gold Ranger and kept running. Soon, Tyler joined the chase.

"I hid Shelby at Chase's house," he called to his father. "I won't say where, but I'm free to help now!"

"Good job, Sir Tyler!" Ivan congratulated him. The Black Ranger threw his Energem at him, enabling him to morph.

As the pursuit continued on, it became clear that Prince Phillip was getting tired, but he didn't relinquish his position. After a long run on the bridge though, the Prince stopped. Ivan, Tyler, James, and Chase slowed down and began to surround him. He glanced left and right, but never demorphed.

"Let her go!" Ivan commanded, pointing his Dino Charge Blaster at him.

"Fine!" the Graphite Ranger roared. Desperately, right before Tyler was able to complete the circle of Rangers, Phillip angrily tossed Kendall over the side of the bridge and sped out of the circle, demorphing as he took off again.

"No!" Chase gasped as the former Purple Ranger landed in the water with a _splash_ and sank underneath the surface. "Guys, we need to help her! She can't swim!"

"What?" Without thinking, Tyler quickly demorphed and threw himself over the side of the bridge into the cold, deep water. The second he hit the ocean and resurfaced, he swam over to where Kendall had disappeared. She was floundering helplessly in the tide, frantically attempting to reach the surface and the air again. He looked around for something that might hold them both up, but found nothing.

"Hold on, Miss Morgan. I'm coming," he murmured. She was sinking even deeper though, her frustrated attempts to breathe in oxygen again making her fall deeper still more. Quietly, he held his breath and dived. He could barely see in the water, but at last, he bumped into her. Determined to save her even if it killed him, he reached under her and cupped her body in his arms. Then he kicked downwards, bringing him and Kendall up a few feet. She seemed to have given up, letting herself breathe in more water, and this made Tyler even more enraged. Couldn't she see that they were trying to save her? She hadn't been put through all of this just to give up. Anxiously, he kept kicking, which eventually brought him and Kendall up to the fresh air. Immediately, he swam for dry land, gripping the rocks with one hand as he reached them.

"Miss Morgan, get ready," Tyler whispered to her. Then he rose up out of the water and threw her over the rocks onto the smooth, white beach. He shivered as he pulled himself out as well. The other Rangers had managed to make their way down to the beach, all demorphing as they reached Kendall's body.

"Kendall!" Chase cried, falling to his knees beside her. Remembering what he had been taught about drowning CPR, he did his best to administer it to Kendall. After ten minutes though, none of it seemed to be working.

"She's not dead." The Black Ranger placed one hand on his chest. "I'd have felt it if she had died." He then placed that same hand on her chest. "Kendall, wake up." _I love you too much to let you go._

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of silence, Kendall's eyes opened and she coughed a few times, spewing up salty ocean water. Chase sighed in relief as she spit water and blood onto the light sand.

"Kendall, I'm so sorry," he whispered gently, grasping her hand. "I could have prevented this from happening."

"You did what you could." Tyler placed his hand on Chase's shoulder as Kendall spoke in a voice that was almost completely inaudible. "I couldn't have asked for more. He was too strong."

"Why did he take you though?"

"The same reason as always. Koda, Riley, and the Prince don't want a slow death by Energem destruction. They want it quick, not for mercy, but to get me out of the way."

"I can't believe I let you down!" Chase let go of Kendall's hand. "I don't want to believe it."

"But you didn't," Kendall protested. "I was the stupid one. I was the one who let you all down by failing to realize the truth from the beginning." Her voice cracked. "I put you all in danger when you try to protect me."

"No, you don't!" James tried to reason with her. "We protect you for a reason."

"But I'm not worth the trouble," Kendall cried, blinking seawater out of her eyes. "You've seen how relentless Riley and the other two are. You're putting so much at risk."

"We care for you, though." Chase put a hand under her neck and slowly lifted her head up, earning a gasp of surprise from the previous Purple Ranger. "That's all that matters when we risk anything."

"It _doesn't_ matter though," she sobbed, leaning against Chase. "Until I met you and the team, no one ever cared about me. I mean _no one._ "

"But I do," Chase breathed softly. "And I always will. I love you, Kendall, and I promise that will last for eternity."

"Are you sure?" Kendall's gaze held a trace of fear in it.

"Yes. I'd never lie to you. I guarantee it."

Her gaze rapidly changed from fearful to affectionate as Chase sat down on the sand and gently pulled Kendall up beside him. She rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him, closing her eyes again as the Black Ranger put her chocolate-brown hair back into a side ponytail. Feeling relieved, Chase returned the gesture. Tyler, Ivan, and James stood across from them, staring happily at the scene.

"She's okay," Chase reported contentedly, letting Kendall lay across his lap.

And that's when he noticed the bullet.


	7. Chapter 7- Decisions Of Friendship

"Uh, Kendall?" Chase slowly pointed toward the small silver bullet lodged in the center of the girl's back, the edges of the wound stained with red. "What is that?" Kendall hadn't seemed to notice it before, so she kept attempting to twist around to see what Chase was indicating at. He gently pulled the silver object out of her skin and Kendall hissed in pain, clinging onto Chase. Without the bullet in the hole, blood poured out of the small fissure, turning the white sand completely red.

"How did this happen?" he gasped. "You... were shot?"

"What?" Tyler leaned in for a closer look, then drew back in dismay. "It might have happened when she fell over the side of the bridge!"

Chase pressed his hand to the deep gash as he picked up the bullet with his other hand and studied it closely. James snatched it from him and did the same.

"This bullet is poisonous!" he realized. "They just started making them, but I don't know how someone got hold of one already."

"P- poisonous?" Kendall stammered. "No... this can't be happening."

"We might have just saved it from entering her bloodstream, but bullet wounds are devastatingly bloody nevertheless. However, we still need to find the other two Energems," James said. "Restoring her Energem would heal all current diseases or injuries affecting her if..."

"If she doesn't die before then," Chase finished angrily. "Why are those Rangers bent on killing her so much?" Kendall sobbed and buried her face in Chase's shoulder.

"Let's go back to Chase's house," Tyler said. "Shelby's back there too."

"But what if she gets taken again?" James asked worriedly. "Even with all of us there, we still haven't been able to keep her from them. They know our location now."

"Why don't we move her to Shelby's house?" Tyler suggested. "I've been there before and it's a pretty complex place. And I'm pretty sure that Shelby won't mind. She lives alone."

"But how will we move her?" Ivan pointed out. "They know that we might try to move her and they'd probably ambush us."

"Let's go to Chase's first and we'll go from there," Tyler sighed.

They had some difficulty getting off the beach, especially since the fastest way up to the street was climbing a rock pile. Chase grabbed the rocks with one hand while helping Kendall up with the other. Several times, she slipped, grasping Chase's hand as she struggled to keep from falling. Tyler climbed up behind them, boosting the girl up again whenever she slid off the boulders. When they reached the street again, he helped Chase sling her over the stone edge. The rest of the Rangers scrambled up beside them, tossing the Black Ranger their Energems.

"Now what?" James inquired, puzzled.

"We retrace our steps, Dad," Tyler replied, rolling his eyes.

Chase looked back across the bridge. "We came from that way. Let's go." He helped Kendall stand up and gently put her arm over his shoulder, trying to get her to walk properly. After a few steps, it became clear that she couldn't hold her own. Despite that, Chase knew she had to walk alone. She had been pushed around too much that day and at that moment, they both seemed to know that it was very shameful for her. Since they had met, everyone had known her as the stern, serious mentor of the Power Rangers. Now, it was the complete opposite.

"C'mon, Kendall," Chase grunted, slowly moving forward as he once again pressed a hand to the bleeding bullet wound in her back. "You can do it." Kendall winced, but allowed herself to walk in sync with Chase as they began heading back to his house.

Their progress was agonizingly slow, but soon they began to get near the house. Ivan and Tyler strode in front of them, while James walked on the other side of Kendall, helping her limp towards the house.

"I put Shelby in another room," Tyler whispered to the rest of them. "Not yours, because anyone could get in through there now that the window's broken."

But as they arrived at the door, a sinister mood suddenly settled over the group. Chase brought Kendall upstairs, letting Tyler go in front so he could show him where Shelby was resting. The last door at the end of the hall was where he stopped.

"Wait- what's this?"

A note written on an old-looking piece of paper had been pinned to the door. The writing was tiny, but still legible. Tyler held it up for the rest of them to see and began reading.

 _"'Dear Rangers, I see you have released the dear Pink Ranger from her prison. Mind you, she is mine again. I am controlling her mind once again and she believes that you all are her enemies. But I may soon have no further reason to keep her alive and I just might do away with her. However, I shall make you a deal. Hand over Kendall to me and have Shelby back alive. If not, Riley, Koda, and I will destroy them both. Meet me tomorrow in the woods at 1:45 pm and give me your answer. If you don't, I will find you and Kendall will be led to a very slow death. Tomorrow at 1:45 pm. Don't be late. Yours untruly, Prince Phillip III."_

"WHAT?!" Tyler pushed open the door, flipped the light switch on, and wildly glanced around. "He took Shelby!"

"How is this possible?" his dad gasped.

"We never should have left her!" Ivan exclaimed. "But what do we do now?"

"I can't leave Shelby!" Tyler declared, wiping a tear out of his eye. "I'd do whatever it takes to save her." He glared at Chase and Kendall. "Even..."

"Even hand over Kendall when we've already fought so hard to protect her?" Chase spat.

"Maybe." Then Tyler shook his head. "We'll have to go to the Prince tomorrow and try to persuade him to let Shelby go. If that doesn't work..."

"Miss Morgan will be in a huge amount of danger if we don't go in the first place," Ivan pointed out. "I say we fight for them both!" He raised one hand and placed it in the center of the circle. "Who's with me?" Kendall hung back, eyes widening as she waited for the results.

With no hesitation, Chase put his hand out to join Ivan's, releasing her. "For Shelby and Kendall!"

"For Shelby and Kendall!" Ivan repeated.

James looked a bit unsure, but finally added his own hand to the middle as well. "For Shelby and Kendall!"

They all looked at Tyler. Was he going to help them fight for both of them? Or would he refuse to help with the plan and try to hand over Kendall? After a long moment of silence and pondering, he finally added his hand to the cluster too, staring at all of them with a grin. "For Shelby and Kendall!"

Kendall managed a weak smile and no one but Chase heard her whisper into the cool air, "Thank you."


	8. Chapter 8- The Meeting

That night, Kendall lay away in bed, squirming uncomfortably on the bandages wrapped around her torso to keep her bleeding in check. She snuggled up to Chase again, finding more comfort in the way that he held her close. She knew that they were safe for that night, but somehow, thoughts of what the next day would be like unnerved her. She grabbed her glasses from the new nightstand and put them on for a brief moment, glancing around at the other three beds in the room containing Tyler, Ivan, and James.

"Hey, you okay?" Chase whispered from beside her, waking up instantly. "It'll be fine, but you'll definitely need some sleep for it."

Kendall took off her glasses and blinked worriedly at him. "It's not that. It's just- what happens if we can't work it out with them? They'll kill both me and Shelby and maybe even the rest of you."

"That will never happen," Chase sighed sincerely, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I promise, everything will be fine. Now go to sleep, my love." Kendall closed her eyes and let his deep breathing lull her to sleep.

The next morning, everyone was awake by 8:00 in the morning, except for Kendall, who slept until 10:00. Chase made a few pancakes for her and set them on a glass plate. He knew that she naturally enjoyed independence, but at this point, she was depending completely on the four Rangers. Kendall yawned exhaustedly as she plodded down the steps, sinking into a seat at the counter and straightening her glasses on her face.

"Rest well, Sleeping Beauty?" James laughed. Kendall shot an angry glare at him and he immediately dropped his gaze as she pushed her breakfast away. "I'm not hungry, Chase."

"What?" Tyler stared at her in surprise. "But you have to eat. We must be ready."

"I'll be ready without food," she replied stubbornly.

Chase shook his head. "Kendall..."

"I'll be fine!" She pushed her chair away from the counter and limped towards the living room, collapsing on the couch.

"Something tells me that this will be a lot rougher than we think," Ivan said.

Later, at 1:25, they all left the house and headed into the woods, knowing exactly where the Prince would be. Kendall tried to hang back, but Chase urged her on. Tyler, Ivan and James fanned out in the front. But by 1:40, they seemed to be lost.

"Where could they be?" Tyler asked frantically. "I don't like the fact that he could sneak up on him at any moment."

"Oh, but maybe I don't need to." Everyone jumped as Prince Phillip's stern voice rang out through the forest. He was walking towards them from out of the mist, flanked by Riley and Koda. Both Koda and the Prince were morphed and Riley looked furious at being unable to do the same. Shelby trailed behind them, looking defeated and ashamed.

"Do you have something- or someone for us?" Riley questioned angrily, glaring at Kendall, his gaze burning into hers.

"Guys, can't we just come to a better compromise?" James protested.

"Surely, there's a better way of settling this without killing," Chase added.

"We only want Kendall," Prince Phillip snapped. "Give her to us and we will let you have Shelby back, alive and well."

"You will never take her!" Chase yelled. At that moment, though, Shelby decided that it would probably be a good idea to make a break for it. Before anyone could speak again, she darted around Koda and raced toward the others, running as fast as she could. The second she ran around Ivan, Koda, Riley, and the Prince charged at the group. Kendall attempted to run away, but tripped over a root, sprawling to the ground. Chase sped over to her and helped her up, pulling her away from the oncoming Rangers back toward the city. But Riley dodged around the group as well, making a beeline for Kendall. He slammed straight into her, knocking her away from Chase and ripping off the bandages that surrounded her midsection. She cried out as her back began bleeding again.

"Get away from her!" Chase shouted, rushing at Riley. He nimbly eluded the Black Ranger and led him farther on into the forest, leaving Kendall completely defenseless and unprotected.

Meanwhile, Tyler had run after Shelby, trying to get her to return, but she had obviously decided that her best bet would be to keep running. He kept going, pursuing her deeper into the trees. Ivan and James were trying to fend off Phillip and Koda, but they soon sidestepped the Gold and Aqua Rangers and flew towards Kendall. She gasped and picked herself up off the ground as she tried to flee, leaving a trail of blood behind her. Koda overtook her first and threw his Stego Shield at her. It narrowly missed, but one of the spikes on it hit her in the back of the head, causing her to grit her teeth as pain scorched through her. He picked it up again and thrust his foot out, striking her hard on her back where the bullet wound was. Kendall shrieked in agony as she crashed to the ground, hitting it with such force that the world spun around her. She barely managed to regain her vision before he was on top of her again, smashing his hand against the back of her neck to hold her down. Prince Phillip soon caught up with them and gazed approvingly down at the Blue Ranger.

"Well done, Koda," he congratulated him. "As for you..."

Kendall was struggling to take Koda's hand off her neck, but she knew that it was no use resisting. She was on her own.

But Ivan and James hadn't completely forgotten about her. Both of them bolted towards the Prince, but unfortunately for them, he was strong enough to keep them both at bay.

"Don't kill her just yet!" the Graphite Ranger yelled at Koda. "I want to have some fun with her too."

The caveman obediently stayed in the same position, keeping her pinned down in the dirt. Kendall finally stopped struggling and lay motionless in the dust, trying to distance her mind from what was happening to her.

"Koda, stop!" she wailed frantically. "This isn't you!"

"Actually, it is," Koda said coldly. "I am completely myself. I have no doubts about ending your days, but I will prolong it once the Prince joins me."

 _So it really **is** them? I shouldn't have come at all. How could I be so stupid? _

She began to cry, tears falling from her eyes and sinking into the dust below her, blurring her vision again even through her glasses. Prince Phillip had finally moved around James and Ivan and left Riley to lure them to where Chase was. All of them still seemed to seek revenge for his first attack.

"Now I can deal with you," the Graphite Ranger spat at Kendall. "Koda, let her go."

Koda released Kendall, but she didn't move. She knew what was going to happen and she was incapable of preventing it. Her image was destroyed and she was no longer known as the strong, independent leader she once was. Now, she was at the mercy of the two Rangers, who she had once thought of as trustworthy friends.

 _I hope this will be swift._


	9. Chapter 9- Shelby's Return

"Just get it over with quickly, please," Kendall murmured, shivering slightly.

"If that's what you want..." She felt a glimmer of hope as Prince Phillip spoke gently.

"...then I guess it's what you're **not** going to get." She felt her blood turn cold. It had been too much to hope for.

Kendall squeezed her eyes shut as she was yanked off the ground and thrown into a cluster of thorny bushes. She screeched as the thorns scraped her skin, leaving cuts on her arms and tore large holes in her jeans. She barely had time to catch a breath before the Graphite Ranger quickly charged up his Titanium Blaster and fired, catching her by surprise as the blast hit her in the chest, sending her flying backwards. Chase finally realized what was going on and dodged his next blast as he raced over to her.

"I'm so sorry," he sighed. "We never should have come."

"But they would have killed Shelby," Kendall pointed out. "Rather me than her. I'd rather die than become a murderer." She lay back on the ground.

"Kendall, get up!" Chase gasped frantically.

"Leave me alone," she murmured. "It's too much. Before now, I was hoping to live so I could stay with my friends, but now, I feel like I have nothing left to live for."

"But I do," the Black Ranger whispered. "I live for you. Don't give up."

"I can barely run, though. Remember I could die anyway with my Energem destroyed. I don't think I have much time left regardless of what they do to me."

"Here, I'll help you." Chase lifted Kendall into his arms and started to run.

"Hey, come back!" Prince Phillip roared. He and Koda chased after them as Chase tore through the trees, speeding up as the Rangers closed the gap behind him and they hit the streets. Kendall wrapped her arms around his neck as he kept going.

"Where are you g- going?" she stammered.

"I don't know, but we need to get away from here. You're in danger, we can't risk it. We can go to Shelby's house."

"Ow, be careful," Kendall groaned. "You're hurting me badly. Your hands are right where _it_ is."

"I'm sorry," Chase replied. "But if you lose much more blood, you're going to lose every bit of energy you have."

She hissed in pain, her nails digging into Chase's shoulder. "I don't care. It- hurts- too much."

"I know, but you seriously need to stop. You know how much it hurts me to see you like this. And take your nails out of my shoulder!" he snarled.

"I'm sorry."

 _I know I love you, but I'm regretting carrying you all this way now._

The girl fell silent as they went on, still pursued by Koda and Prince Phillip. As Kendall got a glimpse of them, she glared at them and Koda shot a Dino Blast at her face. It whistled past Chase's shoulder, throwing him off balance and sending both of them to the ground. Chase immediately stood up and formed a protective shield in front of her, morphing and holding up his Para Chopper.

"I'll destroy you!" the Prince yelled, charging at Chase. He fired three blasts at him, which he all deflected. Unfortunately, the second the energy bolts were hurled into the air, they changed direction and headed towards Kendall. She clenched her teeth together as they all hit her back at the same time. It took all of her willpower not to scream, especially since it had hit her exposed wound, making her feel like her whole body was on fire.

"Kendall! Oh my God, are you okay?"

"No!" she wailed, memories of the last encounter with Riley flowing through her head, when Chase had accidentally injured her once again. "Why must this keep happening?"

Chase faced the Graphite Ranger again, anger surging through him. "How dare you hurt her!" he thundered.

His opponent laughed and fired his Dino Morpher again repeatedly. Chase deflected all of the blasts again, but realized the error of that when it once again hurtled straight towards Kendall. This time, there were too many for her to handle, so she did cry out as they hit her. But now, they exploded, surrounding her body in a cloud of smoke and fire.

"KENDALL!" The cloud soon vanished, leaving her limp form laying unmoving. "NO!"

Prince Phillip stepped back, admiring the scene in front of him triumphantly as Chase demorphed and thrust himself down beside Kendall, shaking her gently. The girl's skin was paler than fresh snow and the flesh on her back was burnt from where she had been hit multiple times. The bullet wound had stopped bleeding, but it looked as if it had been replaced by nothing but blistering burns and sores.

"I... this is just like the last time," he sighed. "How could I have done this?" Ivan and James had finally caught up with them and were staring at him in horror. Chase leaned over her, caressing her skin where the burns had appeared. Kendall's eyes shot open and she let out a pained gasp every time he touched her and slowly sat up.

"I can't believe this is happening." She winced as she spoke. "And where did _she_ come from?" Kendall pointed into the distance, where Tyler was walking toward them, leading Shelby by the shoulders. Both of them halted when they saw Kendall and Chase, then darted in their direction. Shelby skidded to a stop beside them and gasped. "Miss Morgan!" Chase curved himself over her, shielding her protectively.

"Listen, Chase, I'm sorry for every single thing I did to her!" Shelby rasped desperately. "I was being controlled, I didn't have any dominance over my mind!"

"Well, guess what?" Chase growled, fueled by rage. "You destroyed her Energem!"

"I did?"

"Yes! You don't remember? SHE'S DYING!" he shouted. He scooped Kendall up and held her close to him as he stood up. "Prince Phillip, Koda, and Riley want her dead before then, but without her Energem, she'll perish!"

"Can **_anything_** help her?"

"We'll need the other 9 Energems. If we combine their powers, we can restore her Energem and her life force. We have 7 of them, but we still need Prince Phillip's and Koda's. But we don't need your help. You were the one who started all this."

"If I started this, then I want to end it. I promise, I'm no longer under Prince Phillip's control."

Chase considered her for a moment, then glanced down at Kendall's broken body with tears in his eyes. "Fine. Anything to help Kendall."


	10. Chapter 10- Released From Sanity

When Shelby, Ivan, Tyler, James, and Chase finally returned to the Pink Ranger's house with Kendall, everyone was exhausted. Prince Phillip had let them go freely, but they knew that he, Koda, and Riley would return for them eventually. When Chase laid his burden on a bed in one of the upstairs rooms, Shelby stayed by her side the whole time. She knew that she was in a lot of pain, so she did everything she could to try to help.

"What do we do now?" James asked worriedly. "We know how ruthless Koda and the Prince are and we're no closer to getting either of their Energems back."

"Do we know how much time she has left?" Tyler inquired.

"Only Keeper can answer that," Shelby said.

"But the lab was destroyed!" Chase protested. "Keeper isn't safe there!"

"Keeper put a shield around it that will throw people out who it detects having bad intentions to enter it," Ivan explained. "Keeper and Zenowing are fine there."

"I'll bring her there with Shelby then," Chase sighed.

"Not a chance," Tyler snapped. "We're all in this together. We're coming with you."

"Fine."

The museum was very close to Shelby's house, but the rest of the Rangers still surrounded Chase and Kendall as they went on. Thankfully, they were never ambushed as they arrived at the lab. Shelby moved forward nervously when it was time for her to go through, but the barrier never kept her back. It was completely empty except for the deserted Energem crystals and its two original occupants. Kendall fearfully stared up as the ceiling as they entered the lab.

"Keeper, Zenowing," Tyler greeted them. "It's a relief to see that you are okay after- you know."

"What is wrong now?" Zenowing questioned. Chase stepped back a bit.

"Have you gotten the rest of the Energems yet?" Keeper asked.

"No, and Miss Morgan is getting worse," Shelby cried. "We need to know how much longer she's going to live."

"Hmm..." Keeper paced over to Chase and gently rested one hand on Kendall's chest. She hissed and pawed it off.

"Let him help you," Chase whispered to her, giving her a peck on the cheek as Keeper reinstated his position. He stayed there for a few minutes as everyone held their breath.

Finally, Keeper looked up. "I didn't expect this."

"What is it?" Shelby burst out.

"She'd only have about a week left if it was a natural death from Energem destruction, but with all the injuries she's been getting lately, there's no telling how long she'll survive."

Kendall struggled out of Chase's arms and landed on her feet, stumbling a bit and then collapsing. Zenowing quickly caught her, glancing back at the Black Ranger. He nodded, his strength diminished from carrying the girl all day.

"Let go of me!" Kendall squealed.

"As you wish." Zenowing stood her back up and released her. Kendall bowed her head as she carefully edged away from them.

"Does anyone have any ideas for how we should get the last two Energems without injuring ourselves or killing Miss Morgan?" Ivan voiced.

"What about ambushing them?" Tyler suggested. "We could find out their exact location and take their Energems when they least expect it."

"But I don't think any of Kendall's equipment survived the attack," Chase pointed out. "If we somehow manage to acquire stuff like it at a local laboratory, none of us know how to use it except Shelby and neither her nor Kendall are in any state to be put through the strain of trying to handle anything like that."

"Why did Shelby destroy her Energem then if she knew what she was doing?" Zenowing tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"But I couldn't control myself!" Shelby cut in anxiously. "I was a prisoner in my own mind until he released me!"

"Moving on." Ivan dismissed the topic with a wave of his hand. "Any more ideas?"

"We could hide somewhere that I know they won't find us," Shelby started to say.

"But they can find us anywhere! That includes the unused council dungeon," James muttered with a reproachful glance at the unstable Pink Ranger.

 _Please don't read my mind anymore!_ Shelby mouthed angrily at him, turning away.

"Well, I'm out of ideas," Tyler murmured.

"But we can't give up!" Zenowing protested. "We need to find a way to save Kendall. We can't keep her here forever."

"Um, speaking of, where is Kendall?" Chase looked around wildly. The former Purple Ranger had disappeared.

"She's gone!" Shelby yelled.

"We need to find her!" Ivan declared. "The other Rangers can't find her before we do. Worse yet, Arcanon may send a monster after her. We haven't seen much of him around lately. That could be a sign of disaster."

"Let's go then!" Tyler shouted. He, Ivan, James, Chase, and Shelby ran out the door of the lab into the museum. Many people stared questioningly at them as they rushed by, but they didn't stop. As they exited into the darkening sunlight, they saw nothing. The streets were empty.

"Let's split up," James recommended. "If you find her, contact the rest of us and tell us where you are. If you're being attacked, or even if you're not, we'll be there immediately." They nodded and split up five ways, each of them going in a different direction.

"Kendall!" Chase called. "Where are you? You need to come back! You're not safe out here!"

And that's when a storm broke out again. Rain pelted down harshly on the ground and onto the five Rangers. Lightning flashed down all around them and they grew more afraid by the moment.

"KENDALL!" They all shouted together. No answer came back to them.

Chase ran off down the street, rain blurring his vision as he raced towards where the last attack had been on them. He had a feeling that she might go back to somewhere near there. As he arrived there, he peered closely at the area around him, but saw nothing. _Where is she?_

Then a shadowed person flew across his path, startling him as it dashed into the woods and threw itself as another individual that he hadn't noticed was standing there. Whoever they were, they stood too far away for Chase to see them clearly. But as the unknown creature hurled itself at the person standing near the trees, they let out a high-pitched scream that echoed throughout the forest as they went down, being crushed underneath them. It was a scream that sounded pained and agonized. It sounded very familiar. He knew it only too well.

"KENDALL, NO!"


	11. Chapter 11- Cries Of Fear

Chase set off at a run. She was much too far away, but he knew he had to save her. Of all the places for her to go and now she was being attacked! He raced towards her at full speed and at the same time, he knew he had to fight the someone attacking her. But when he got even closer, he could clearly see who it was. It was Ninja, one of Arcanon's reanimated monsters! What was he doing here? Then he knew. Arcanon wanted her Energem, not knowing that it had been destroyed. Chase rushed forward at Ninja, spearing him off Kendall and throwing him to the ground.

"Kendall, run!" he shouted.

The terrified girl struggled to get off the ground, but was afraid to run. The only way to go was a narrow path beside a steep ravine that they hadn't noticed earlier.

Chase pointed his Dino Blaster at Ninja. "Just go!"

"I can't!"

"Yes you can! I got this."

Scared into fleeing, Kendall darted along the thin path at the side of the ravine just as Chase shot his blaster. Right before he was blown apart, Ninja shot a dark blast aimlessly into the air. It barely missed the injured scientist, but knocked her entirely off balance as she avoided it. She uttered a pained cry as she fell, then cut it off when her head slammed against a rock and her body connected with the valley of the ravine. Stars swirled around her vision as she crashed to the ground, her glasses flying off, then blacked out completely. "Chase..."

He had called the other Rangers. Tyler, Ivan, James, and Shelby traveled to that point and watched as he destroyed Ninja.

"Where's Kendall? You said she was here," James said, looking around.

"What do you mean?" Chase questioned. "She was right there." He spun and stared towards the narrow trail by the ravine. "Wait a second..."

Meanwhile, Riley had found out their location and snuck up on Kendall down in the ravine. He knew she was there and was going to take her where no one would find her. He towered above her and smashed his hand down on her neck. _Or I could just kill you right now._

Kendall opened her eyes slightly, but was almost blinded temporarily. She brought one hand up to defend herself, but Riley swatted it away. He put more pressure on her neck and she gasped for air as Prince Phillip and Koda came up behind the Green Ranger.

"Good job, Riley," Koda praised him. "Now let's destroy her for real."

"But make her death slow," Prince Phillip added. "She's defied us too many times."

"Wait!" Kendall cried desperately. She felt hot tears pouring down her cheeks as the Prince and Riley dragged her into a corner, kicking her glasses aside as they did. _I just want this to be over. Now._

"What, you think this would be quick?" Prince Phillip laughed. "No, definitely not." He stepped back and at that moment, his victim realized that he was about to do his special move, the Royal Dino Punch. He wound up and Kendall braced herself for the burst of fire inside her.

"Take this!" Then the unimaginable agony hit her, making her scream out uncontrollably. Somehow, it immediately drained her of all energy and resistance. As her scream died out, her body went limp and her eyes closed as the last of the color in her drained out of her skin. Suddenly, it brought back some terrible memories of something similar that had happened to her years earlier.

Then she saw herself as a young, naïve person at age 18, eight years earlier, running after a page from her dinosaur journal blowing away in the wind next to a luscious evergreen forest. But what she didn't know was that she was rushing towards a cliff next to the forest. She finally noticed it and jumped for the page as she reached the edge, but she slipped and grabbed the end of the cliff right before she was about to fall into nothingness.

"HELP!" she yelled as she dangled from the cliff face. Then her face softened in a terrified way. "Never mind. I know that no one's coming and no one will. I shouldn't have come out here alone. I was too upset about my parents dying a few days after I left for college a year ago that I forgot about myself. Oh, why?" As the young version of her attempted to climb back up again, the rock quickly flaked away under her hands and she delivered a wild screech as she plummeted to the hard floor of the cliff, which was a very long way down. The images blurred and Kendall knew instantly where it was going. She had been found three days later with a damaged heart and had to get a heart transplant that day. Then she had been attacked by a bunch of idiots in one of her college classes a few days afterward that were jealous of her knowledge and she didn't know how she had survived it.

But next, an agonizing pain in her chest sent her spiraling back to reality, her eyes opening instantly. It hadn't gone in too deep, but Prince Phillip had stabbed her with a knife. Blood streaked from the new wound as he yanked it out. Kendall couldn't hold anything in and regardless of her lack of energy, cries of pain, rage, and suffering emanated from her throat, echoing throughout the ravine and a lot of the forest, easily reaching the ears of the other Rangers. She lay back helplessly as she barely heard their voices from very far above.

"Was that her?" Tyler gulped.

"It came from down there, in the ravine!" Chase gasped. "Oh no! She must have fallen when Ninja shot off his last blast!"

The five Rangers rushed over to the edge of the ravine and peered down inside it. Then they noticed the three attackers surrounding Kendall on the ground and watched in dismay as the Prince plunged the knife down into her left eye, causing her to shriek as he once again pulled it out harshly. The slash on her eye also began to bleed. Prince Phillip moved a few steps backward and stared at Kendall's bleeding wounds with triumph in his eyes.

"NO!" Shelby sobbed, bringing a hand to her eye to wipe away the stream of tears flowing from her eyes. "Chase, give me my Energem!" She snatched it from his pocket and morphed (Energize!), then jumped down into the ravine, landing perfectly on her feet.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" she roared, firing her blaster at Riley, Prince Phillip, and Koda. Because Koda and the Prince were morphed, it blasted them backwards and demorphed them. Shelby ran over to Kendall and demorphed herself.

"Kendall..." Shelby whispered, gently touching the place where her friend's eye had been slashed. Kendall let out an anguished wail as more of her blood spilled out onto the dusty ground. The other Rangers also morphed and leapt into the ravine where the two of them were. When the three traitors saw them, they fled.

The Rangers that remained crowded in around Shelby and Kendall.

"What now?" Chase murmured, blinking back tears. "We can't let her die."

And silence reigned over the entire valley.


	12. Chapter 12- The Last Energems

After the moment of silence, Ivan spoke up and pointed at the ground a few yards away from them. "Look!" he gasped. "It's them! They left the Graphite and Blue Energems!"

"What?" Everyone else turned to look and saw that it was indeed true. The Blue and Graphite Energems were laying abandoned on the ground in place of where their owners, Prince Phillip and Koda, had just fled from. Chase quickly left the circle and went over to them.

"We're definitely going to need these," he proclaimed, scooping them up and depositing them in his pocket as he returned to the group. "But how will we get the machine back from my house? It's too far to go. We can't hope to not get ambushed."

"But Kendall's dying!" Shelby protested. "We have to risk it."

"You're right," James agreed. "But she's bleeding too much. We can't move her."

"Then we'll have to go fetch it," Tyler pointed out.

"I'll go," Chase declared immediately. "Ivan, James, you come with me. We can climb out of the ravine."

As they headed off, Tyler slowly knelt down beside Shelby. "She'll be fine," he murmured.

He instantly knew it was the wrong thing to say. They stood up at the same time as she turned on him like a swarm of bees.

"Fine? Are you kidding me?" she spat angrily. "Did you _see_ what they did to her? She's bleeding to death here and you're acting like everything is going to be just _fine_! Why don't I just let you murder her then and let it all be over? Better yet, why don't I? I almost did anyway, so let's just finish her because that's what you want!"

"Yes," they heard Riley hiss behind them. He had returned, but neither of them cared. Shelby picked the knife up that Prince Phillip had dropped and raised it above Kendall's mutilated body. She gasped, staring up at the Pink Ranger with a fearful glint in her clean eye.

"Shelby, don't!" Tyler quickly grabbed her arm, dislodging the knife from her hand and causing it to fall. Kendall screamed and rolled out of the way as it missed her and struck the ground hard.

"Shelby, if you do something like this, then you'll be just like you were when you were being mind-controlled by Prince Phillip!" the Red Ranger reminded her. "We don't want her to die."

Shelby sniffed, nodding as she leaned in against Tyler, staring down at the injured girl in front of her. Kendall finally let herself lay down on the soft ground, pressing one hand to her bleeding eye and the other to her chest. _How much longer before this kills me?_

Tyler pulled away from Shelby and stabilized the former Purple Ranger again. "Let's wait for Chase to get back. Just hang in there, Kendall Morgan."

Riley narrowed his eyes at them from behind them. "That's not likely to happen."

"What?" Shelby spun around and glared at him as she stepped in to guard Kendall from the Green Ranger. "Don't touch her!"

"I don't need to," Riley sneered. "She'll die on her own. The Prince did a good job with her." These words left Tyler and Shelby speechless and they stood frozen in their place as Riley maneuvered around them and sauntered over to Kendall, kicking her body viciously.

"You were never good for anything," he taunted her nastily. "I'm glad that you're in this position. We're finally done with business here." He kicked her again before traipsing away, leaving the three Rangers blinking back at him in shock.

Meanwhile, Chase, James, and Ivan were rushing down the streets toward Chase's house, quickly pursued by Prince Phillip and Koda. As they turned the corner, Koda overtook them and Ivan furiously punched him in the shoulder as he came around on his side. Koda snarled as he fell back, leaving only the Graphite Ranger following them. Prince Phillip was not much more successful. The Black Ranger's house had just come into view, so he darted in front of the group and into the house.

"Phillip, get back out here!" James roared. He led the Gold and Black Rangers back into the house and they raced upstairs after the Prince.

"Don't let him get to where the machine is!" Ivan yelled. "We need that to help Kendall and she'll die if we can't use this!"

Chase ran after the intruder and attacked him as he came out of one of the rooms. "You will not do a single bit of harm to Kendall anymore! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

Prince Phillip's silver eyes flashed, but he obeyed Chase's enraged command and leapt over the rail before racing out the door. Chase rushed into the room next to the previously searched one and came out again with the small machine that could combine the powers of any needed Energems and 9 of them could restore the last one. Thankfully, it was one of the few inventions that had never needed to be plugged into an outlet.

"Finally!" Ivan sighed. "Now let's head back. We now have a way to get back into the ravine without hurting ourselves."

Then Chase felt a sharp pain in his heart. He knew that nothing was wrong with him, so he now realized where it was coming from. _Kendall!_

"Something's wrong with Kendall!" he shouted anxiously. "I can feel it."

"What is it?" Ivan asked.

"I don't know exactly, but it is severe. She is in critical danger right now."

"Let's go then!" James didn't know how Chase could feel what his girlfriend was feeling, but if she really was in a dangerous crisis, then they had to get there as soon as possible.

As they dashed out the door and hit the streets again, the Black Ranger flew ahead of all of them, clutching the special machine in his hands. Kendall needed his help and he had to get there fast.

Back at the ravine, Tyler and Shelby frantically tried to stop Kendall from exsanguinating, but it was almost a lost cause and they were giving up any hope that they could help her survive. Kendall thrashed around and cried out in pain as Shelby's nails dug into the wound on her chest.

"Shelby, get off of me!" she wailed, swiping at her aimlessly. Shelby drew back in surprise as she kept sobbing, placing both hands on her face and letting them get coated in red. At that moment, Chase quickly climbed down in the ravine, gently dropping the combining machine onto the ground. The Aqua and Gold Rangers followed suit.

"Come on, Kendall." James bent down beside her and forced her hands off her face, pinning them by her side. "Just cooperate with us and you'll be okay."

Chase pulled the Black, Pink, Silver, Graphite, Blue, Green, Red, Aqua, and Gold Energems out of his pocket and placed them into nine of the containers in the machine. The machine glowed as nine brightly colored lasers shot into the empty container in the middle of the circle of Energems. Chase reached down and lightly kissed her. "Hold on tight, my love. You'll be okay soon."


	13. Chapter 13- Healing The Pain

"Guys, push your power in!" Chase called. "It might speed up the process faster."

That was exactly what happened. As Ivan, Shelby, Tyler, and James started powering up the machine, a light purple form began to materialize in the small center container.

"It's working!" Chase let out a breath of relief. "Keep up the power!" When he finally added his own with it, a bright purple light flew out from the middle of the Energem circle, enveloping all of the Rangers there. The Black Ranger held his breath as the light cleared.

And that's when he saw it. In the center point of the circle of gems, safely buried deep inside the glass container and glowing brightly once more, was the Purple Energem.

"It worked!"

Chase glanced over at Kendall as her Energem shot a blast of violet light at her, encasing her body as she let out a scream. Chase tried to touch her, but the case of light threw him back. He stared at her in dismay.

"What's going on?" Shelby's frightened whimper cut through the air. "Is something wrong?"

"It looks like it," Ivan gasped. "Someone take the Energem away!" Tyler obeyed immediately, but the Purple Energem burned him as soon as it touched his skin. He withdrew his hand quickly.

Everyone began breathing heavily until the energy finally disappeared. Chase gazed at Kendall and what he saw made his heart burst with happiness. She was completely healed! The bleeding wound on her chest had closed up and the blood on her eye had also disappeared, leaving just a small, visible cut.

"Kendall, you're okay!" Chase threw his arms around her as he picked her up and held her close to his chest. "You really are okay!"

Kendall gazed into his dark eyes, but half of her vision felt entirely obscured. That half was completely black.

"Chase, I... I can't really see you."

"What do you mean?"

She blinked questioningly at him. "I can't see part of you."

"What?" Feeling a bit suspicious, he gently inspected her previously injured eye. As it began glazing over, he knew exactly what had happened. She had been blinded in her left eye.

"Kendall... oh God... you're... you're half-blind."

"What?" Kendall squirmed away from Chase and slowly stood up, fetching her Energem from the glass jar and turning it over in her hands. "Shouldn't that be just temporary?"

"I hope so," he murmured. "But in the meantime, we need to find out the whereabouts of Koda, Riley, and the Prince. As long as they're still around, you'll always be in danger."

"Great. Just great." Kendall angrily stalked away. Tyler slowly picked up her glasses and thrust them into her hand. Though she was already temporarily blind, she put them on and tried to climb out of the ravine. Again, however, because of her impaired vision, she ended up slipping when she was about halfway up and crashed back down to the floor of the ravine.

"Maybe I should help you until you get your sight back," Chase sighed, helping her up once again. "We'll wait until then to battle the others." Defeated, the Purple Ranger allowed him to guide her movements until they had completely exited the dry ravine. At that moment, she gently grasped his hand and looked up at him serenely.

"When will I be able to have my full sight back again?" she asked shakily, shivering at the frightening memory of Prince Phillip stabbing her in the eye.

"Pretty soon. In fact, you may have it back before the end of the day, but I still can't leave you on your own. I- I can't bear to let anything else bad happen to you." Kendall sighed in frustration as the other Rangers climbed out of the ravine behind them.

"You okay?" Tyler questioned. Kendall gave him a stinging glare, shaking her head fiercely.

Shelby drew away from the group as she felt the chocolate-brown eyes rest on her. She just couldn't bring herself to apologize to her for actually wanting to kill her, even for a second. Ivan stared at her for a moment before turning his attention away from her. Kendall closed her eyes again as Chase wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him as she allowed herself to lean against him. _He really does love me,_ she realized. _And I just recognized how much I truly love him back._

"Let's go," James exclaimed, though he couldn't help smiling as he glanced at the Purple and Black Rangers together.

"But where will we go?" Kendall protested. "Riley, Koda and Prince Phillip know we used Chase's and Shelby's houses as refuges; they might think we'll return there. The only place we have protection from them is the Dino Lab, but there's no necessities there for us to survive on."

"Plus, they may also think that we'll use the rest of our houses for sanctuary too," Tyler added nervously. "So... we have nowhere to go."

Chase was shocked. He let go of Kendall and she stumbled away from him toward Shelby, who had turned away and was trying to run.

"Shelby, where are you going?"

The Pink Ranger glanced back at her. "I..."

"Is there something you want to tell us?"

Shelby rolled her eyes. _She knows the look._

Tyler ambled over to them. "Shelby, just tell her. You'll end up feeling guilty otherwise."

"Fine."

Kendall leaned in against her as the vision in her left eye quickly began to return. "What is it? Is it about when you were being mind-controlled earlier and almost tried to kill me again? It's okay, you couldn't help it."

"But I **wasn't** being controlled," Shelby burst out. "I was completely myself. But for a second before Tyler stopped me, I actually wanted to kill you. I'm sorry, but I felt like you weren't going to be okay. I thought you were going to die before the others came back and when Tyler said that you would be fine, I accidentally let my anger take over and I let myself think that Tyler wanted you dead. I thought that if I killed you, then it would make him happy, despite knowing that it wouldn't. But I... I knew what I was doing and I didn't stop until he held me back. And..." A tear trickled down her cheek.

"Shelby, why...?" Kendall started crying too, turning away from Shelby. "Why? How could you? I never-" She broke off, her voice fading into nothing and ran off, dodging through the trees and disappearing as she hit the street.

"Miss Morgan!" Shelby cried. "Wait! I'm so sorry!" No answer.

"Come on!" Chase shouted. Without waiting for a reply from any of the rest of them, he took off in the direction that Kendall had taken. After running for about a half hour, he finally found her, crouched behind a dirty box in an alley, tears pouring down her face as she gazed upwards, fear shining in her brown eyes.

And apparently, she wasn't alone.


	14. Chapter 14- Final Words

Chase stood frozen in place as he stared at Kendall. Prince Phillip, Koda, and Riley were advancing on her from all sides, all of them holding knives in both hands. His mind whirled as a thought flashed through his head. _If she dies here, her Energem can't restore her! I have to save her!_

Before he could move, Prince Phillip struck, one of his daggers cutting through the air and scraping Kendall's left arm as she dodged out of the way. As her arm began to bleed, she whimpered and tried to scramble over the box she had been hiding behind so she could escape.

"Oh no you don't!" Riley darted toward her and grabbed her bleeding arm, yanking her backwards. She gasped as her body crashed to the ground and Chase blinked in shock. The Green Ranger's blade slashed through the air, cutting through Kendall's side, and she cried out in pain as she felt it begin to bleed as well.

"No!" Chase shouted. "Get away from her!" He didn't wait for an answer before charging, knocking the Green Ranger off Kendall. She backed up against the wall as Chase stood in front of her.

Koda growled angrily. "Stop and get out of the way!"

"Not a chance." As the Blue Ranger rushed at him, Chase raised his arm and pushed him away. Koda thrust his leg out and kicked him in the chest, sending him sprawling next to his girlfriend. Kendall tried to reach out to him, but her fingertips barely brushed his arm before Prince Phillip seized her by the shoulders and dragged her away from him, throwing her against the other wall. She collapsed in the dust without making a sound, her eyes tightly closed.

"Kendall!" Chase quickly recovered himself and ran around the Graphite Ranger toward her. She didn't move an inch as he knelt down next to her, shaking her gently. A few drops of blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. _She can't be dead..._

"She isn't dead yet," Riley laughed. "But-"

"And she won't be!" Chase roared.

"Right, whatever you say."

"If you kill her, I'll kill you!"

"I'd like to see you try."

These words unnerved Chase. He released Kendall and as he did, Riley pounced, pinning his hands on her neck as he kicked Chase away from her. Kendall finally began to stir, pawing feebly at him to break his grip, but she knew he would never yield. He increased the pressure on her throat and she really attempted to struggle, stars flooding through her vision. A gasp broke from her as her eyes closed again and her body went limp.

"Chase! Miss Morgan!" Chase jumped as he heard Tyler's voice behind him and a sudden burst of red energy bolts flew into the alley. Almost all of them hit Riley and Koda. The Prince ducked when the bolts were aimed at him. Chase blinked as Koda fell to the ground, his body fading into the mist as night fell upon them. Riley barely had any more luck. He just managed to dodge the last few bolts, glaring hatred at Tyler as Shelby, Ivan, and James came up behind him.

"Miss Morgan!" Shelby wailed, her earsplitting cry echoing through the alley.

Before she could rush over to her, Prince Phillip hissed and stood in front of her body, shielding it from the help of her friends. At once, Chase launched himself at him, unbalancing him and tossing him against the ground. He recovered immediately and instead of throwing himself at Chase, he attacked Kendall, thrusting her body at Riley, who stabbed her in the shoulder, then ripped the knife out and kicked her away. Chase raced forward and caught her as she collapsed.

"Kendall, no, no, no, no this can't happen," the Black Ranger moaned, trying to stem the blood leaking from her side, shoulder, and arm. He placed one hand on her chest, his breath catching in his throat as he felt her heartbeat stuttering beneath it. "Kendall!"

"Miss Morgan, no!" Tyler gasped.

Her eyes flitted open for a moment and looked straight at Chase, her gaze pleading with him to do something, but they both knew it was too late for her.

"Chase... I..."

"Kendall, no! Please, don't leave us! Don't leave _me_!"

"I... I love you..."

Chase put one hand under her head and slowly lifted it up. Kendall knew what he was doing and closed her eyes again as their lips met, giving each other a brief moment of bliss before Chase pulled away, leaving both of them feeling confused and anxious.

"I love you too..."

Gently, Chase encircled her with his arms and pulled her closer to him, never wanting to let go. Kendall arched her back as she tried to take in breath, making Chase grow more panicked by the second. _I'm going to lose her! NO!_

Shelby, Ivan, James, and Tyler slowly walked over to them and surrounded the pair, blocking the Prince from getting to them. Shelby gasped when she heard Chase whisper, "She's dying. It's for real this time."

Chase didn't relinquish his grip as Shelby fell to her knees beside him, throwing her arms over Kendall.

"We came all this way and restored her Energem to save her!" the Pink Ranger sobbed. "And it was all for nothing!"

"It... wasn't... for nothing..." Kendall rasped. "They... they will die too. What Prince Phillip and Riley didn't know was that unless someone... killed them first, like... Koda, then when they... would kill... me, they would die... too..." More crimson blood spurted out of her wounds as she spoke.

"Wait, _that's_ what it would take to defeat them?" James gulped. "And you knew? But why didn't you tell us? We could have told Keeper so he could've helped us find a solution."

"I don't know. I guess I didn't... want to... burden you with... that knowledge." Kendall struggled to open her eyes, but failed. She began shivering, her body convulsing in Chase's arms.

"Listen, I... I was ashamed of what was happening. Before then, you had always known me as a serious and dignified mentor and when they attacked me, I instantly knew what was happening and how to stop it, but I was too humiliated to admit it to anyone. Plus, I knew what it would do to all of you as well. But it was my fault, all of it. I must have done this to them. I put all of us in danger. This all happened because of _me_."

"No way!" Chase shook his head. "I would have done the same if I had been in your position. I promise, none of it was your fault."

"I'm sorry." Kendall's gaze flooded with love and sadness. "But you will be okay without me. I failed you all anyway."

"No, you didn't!" Chase protested. "Shelby told me that you said it yourself: When you make mistakes, you correct them. No excuses. None of those mistakes that you said you made were real. You're the best of us and I love you for who you are."

"Thank you," she whispered. "Remember, I... I love you."

Chase stared at her, eyes widening, as Kendall crumpled in his arms, her last breath echoing in his ears like the final remnants of a shattered dream.


	15. Chapter 15- The Last Goodbye

"MISS MORGAN!" Shelby cried, her mournful wail cutting through the air. "NO!"

"I'm so sorry, Miss Morgan," Ivan murmured. "We all let you down."

Chase wasn't listening to any of the other Rangers' mourning statements. He gazed down at the lifeless body of his girlfriend resting peacefully in his arms. He couldn't believe it. Kendall Morgan, the girl he had loved for so long, the girl who he had fought for so much, the one who he had begun to care for since the day he'd laid eyes on her, was dead. Ivan was right. They had all let her down. He looked around. She had been right, the Graphite and Green Rangers had disappeared.

 _She sacrificed herself for us!_

Chase pulled Kendall's body closer to him, gently resting her head on his chest. Her skin felt cold as he adjusted her glasses on her face. Tyler made a similar movement with Shelby, which only made Chase feel worse. Tyler and Shelby still had each, whilst he had no one now. He couldn't go home to New Zealand yet because they still had to destroy Heckyl, but now that Kendall was gone, they had no way to figure out where to find new heroes to bond to the Purple, Graphite, Green, and Blue Energems. James had brought the rest of the gems with him.

 _Wait, no one was more fit to be a Ranger than her. I'm going to keep the Purple Energem with me unless we suddenly find out that she's alive. Oh, who am I kidding? She's gone._

Chase slowly stood up, earning questioning glances from the surrounding Rangers as he glared at them. Ivan moved out of the way to let the Black Ranger pass through as he began to run. Tears poured from his eyes, splashing onto Kendall's pale face.

 _I can't believe it. I have nothing left to live for now!_

He felt completely numb. What would he tell Zenowing and Keeper now? Kendall and Keeper had become friends when they had first met each other and for a while, they had both acted as the guardians of the Energems. When he and Zenowing found out that it was their fault that she was dead, they would be in huge trouble.

"I'm sorry, Kendall!" he shouted out into the darkening sky. "I tried to save you, but instead, I failed you! I'm sorry!"

As if in answer to him, clouds streaked rain poured from the sky upon him, as if the former Purple Ranger herself was still mourning for her lost life and love. When they arrived at the museum, the rain was still pelting down. Luckily, no one else was in sight outside. He quickly entered the Amber Beach Museum, racing past the people who had stationed themselves inside. It was closing, but he had to get to the lab, which was what he eventually did. As he entered, Zenowing darted in front of him. "Where have you been? What has happened?"

"We did manage to save her, but then the traitors attacked again. And- and now..." Chase broke off as Keeper nudged the Silver Ranger aside and stood in front of him. He gulped and stepped back. "K- Keeper, I'm sorry. It was- it was my fault that she died."

"Actually, it never was," Keeper stated thoughtfully. "You loved her very much and you did everything you could to protect her. Destiny brought her to this. She knew very well what was going to happen, but she chose not to tell you. Kendall proved to be very brave and enduring the entire time and she was a great warrior at heart. That is where she will always be remembered." He tapped his chest. "In your heart."

"But it's not enough," Chase sighed. "I want her here with me. I don't remember any other way to live."

"But you have to find a way," Zenowing added. "You have pictures, right? Plus, you know that she'll always be a part of you."

"Not helping," the Black Ranger muttered.

"Maybe a proper goodbye would help," Keeper suggested. "We can do it where you first found the Purple Energem: In New Zealand."

"I don't know..."

"Chase, you need to accept it soon. She's gone."

Chase sighed. "Fine, let's do it. But can you transport us?"

Keeper nodded. "I can. Close your eyes." Chase obeyed and suddenly, a strange sensation passed over him, as if he was flying through space and time. Then, after about 15 minutes, he heard Keeper's command again. "Open them."

Chase blinked in surprise as he realized that he had been taken to New Zealand, as had the other Rangers. They all stood in a circle, along with Zenowing and Keeper, surrounding Kendall's deceased body, which was somehow floating on a cushion of air.

Keeper's deep voice echoed out among them. "We have come here today for the repeated farewell and goodbyes of Kendall Morgan, the former Purple Ranger and the mentor of the entire team."

"Can you summon her?" Tyler asked.

"I'm guessing you've heard the legends. Yes, I can, but only for about 20 seconds. I hope this will give you enough time."

Chase shook his head. "It won't. But I can make do with that. I'd like one last moment with her."

"Very well." Keeper held up his staff and muttered something in a muffled whisper. Instantly, a violet light surrounded Kendall and swirled around above her, finally assuming the shape of the dead girl, standing there in a dastardly beautiful glow of purple, her gaze flowing right to Chase.

"Kendall!" Chase wanted to run to her and hold her to him forever, but he knew that it wasn't possible. He just had to stand there and endure the stabbing pain.

"Chase, don't worry about me," she murmured gently. "Live your own life. You will find someone better than me, more worthy of your love. I know you might never forget me, but you need to stop letting this get in the way of you living your own life."

 _Kendall, please let me speak too!_ "Even if I do, I won't ever let go of you. You were my life and you always will be."

 _5..._

"Kendall, I'll love you for eternity."

 _4... 3..._

"I hope you'll never forget me either."

 _2... 1..._

"Goodbye, Kendall."

 _Time's up._

Then her spirit disappeared.

Keeper gently prodded the Black Ranger with his staff. "Has any of that helped?"

Chase looked around at the cold environment with the wall of invisibility surrounding them, preventing other people from spotting them. Then he glanced at each of his friends, staring at Shelby, Tyler, James, Ivan, Zenowing, and Keeper.

"I'm okay now," he declared to all of them. "I will never let go of Kendall's memory, but I will also never forget what she said. I will live my life, knowing that her spirit will forever reside within me."


	16. Chapter 16- Traits Revealed

However, a few days after Kendall's death, Chase still hadn't calmed down. He turned away from everyone who greeted him and even stormed away from his ex-girlfriend Kaylee whenever she came across him. He needed to find Prince Phillip, Riley, and Koda. Despite Kendall's declaration about them, Keeper had confirmed that they were not yet dead and were searching the city for him. He could not understand why that would be so, for they hadn't showed any interest in him before. But now, the Rangers were looking for each other. In his heart, Chase knew that even though Kendall was gone, there had to be some way to bring her back; she had been a Power Ranger and therefore earned that right. The Black Ranger absolutely knew that if he found the other three Rangers, he would unlock the answer to that mystery.

"Oh, where are you, Graphite?" Chase hissed, once again diving into the alley where the biggest catastrophe of his life had occurred. A small bloodstain still lay abandoned on the dusty ground and Chase ran past it, trying not to look back at it. He'd scoured the whole city that day, so what was he missing?

"Looking for us?" Chase held his breath as he heard the familiar voice of the Green Ranger behind him. He spun around with fists raised, ready to attack.

"Whoa!" Riley stepped back, as did Prince Phillip and Koda. "Don't attack. We just need to talk to you."

"There's nothing to talk about!" Chase shouted, slowly backing away. "You killed her! You murdered Kendall! Get away from me!"

"I told you that is what happened!" Koda snapped at the other two. " _That_ is what he made us do."

"What do you mean?" Chase's eyes narrowed.

"We never meant to betray Kendall!" Prince Phillip protested. "Even though we saw it all, it wasn't really us. We weren't in control of our own minds. Our minds and actions were under the control of Snide."

"And what makes you think that I'll believe you?" Chase retorted.

The Prince glared at him as he suddenly pulled something shiny and violet out of his back pocket. It was the Purple Energem! How had he acquired that?

"I could have destroyed it, like Shelby did before when I controlled her. But I didn't. Snide made me do everything. When Miss Morgan didn't give him the Purple Energem, he felt that if he destroyed her at all costs, then he could finally get it from her. He also thought that she was the second-in-command protector of the Energems and you know where that could lead. Snide could only control three of us at once, so he made me become able to control Shelby. Soon enough, he couldn't hold that connection any more, so she was released from it later."

"I'm sorry," Riley murmured, shaking his head as Prince Phillip stepped forward and handed Chase the Purple Energem. "I am aware that what we did can never be forgiven. But is there any way that we can redeem ourselves in your eyes even a little bit?"

"Well..." Chase peered down at the Purple Energem. "No, not unless..."

"Not unless we can help bring her back?" Prince Phillip finished. Chase nodded.

"But how can we do that?" Koda objected. "I mean, she's... you know."

"But I know there's a way!" Chase retorted. "She was a Power Ranger, there might still be a way to use her Energem to bring her back. When I saw that she was going to die, I believed the opposite, but now I see that it is really so. We can use this..." He held up the Purple Energem. "...and combine its full powers with the same strength of the other Energems and Dino Chargers. We might just manage it."

"Are you sure?" Riley asked anxiously. "One mistake and we could sever our connection to her forever."

"We'll have to risk it." Phillip shook his head. "I- I can't believe what we did to her. What _I_ did to her."

"And you can apologize to her when she's back," Chase replied. "Let's go." He took off, breaking through the center of the group, and the other three Rangers immediately followed behind him as he ran back towards the Amber Beach Museum.

As they ran, Chase's mind was instantly filled with images of the good times he and the Purple Ranger had had together. He wanted nothing more than to have Kendall back and now that her killers had defected back to the side of good, they could help him go through with that task. The Purple Energem felt hot in his hands.

 _No one can take Kendall from me. **No one.**_

The alley where the Rangers had found each other was a long way from the museum, so it took about a half hour for them to get back. They burst through the double doors in a frenzy, darting toward the lab. As they exited the elevator, Chase noticed the machine that they had used before sitting in the center of the room, with nine of the ten Energem resting in the canisters. _The others must have gone back down to get it and brought it back._

What really alarmed him was the fact that Keeper and Zenowing were nowhere to be seen. _What did Keeper do with Kendall's body?_

He walked forward and placed the Purple Energem in the last of the slots. "Where are the others?"

"We're right here," Tyler exclaimed from behind them. When he, James, Ivan, and Shelby saw Riley, Prince Phillip, and Koda, they promptly struck up defensive positions.

"What are they doing here?" James snapped.

"Listen, they..." Chase began.

"They slaughtered Miss Morgan!" Ivan yelled.

Quickly, Chase explained everything that the former traitors had told him. Shelby was the only one who still looked suspicious at the end of his story, which Chase found was completely expected. She had to have still been on edge from the fact that the past impostors had once controlled her and made her almost become the cause of Kendall's demise. He and Tyler both knew that she hated being painted as something that she didn't want to be, especially as a murderer. But after some comforting words from the Red Ranger, she finally calmed down a bit.

"We need to combine all of our powers to make this work." Everyone jumped in shock as Keeper emerged out of the shadows, with Zenowing right behind him. "That memorial service I brought you all to was just so it would keep all of your anger at bay while you figured out what you really needed to do to bring her and your memories back to life."

"Summon your Dino Chargers for your blasters," Zenowing ordered. As the instructions were followed, the Silver Ranger did the same and Keeper brandished his staff.

"We must direct the power right at the Energems and they'll cast her solid form and life beside them. Also, we need to use our full power, otherwise it won't work. Ready?"

"Ready!"

The Red, Pink, Black, Green, Blue, Gold, Silver, Graphite, and Aqua Rangers all wielded their Dino Morphers.

"Energize!"


	17. Chapter 17- A New Journey Begins

The Dino Rangers all morphed and immediately pointed their blasters at the Energems, setting them to a special restoration mode.

"On my mark," Keeper declared. "One..."

The blasters began to charge up.

"Two..."

Chase took a deep breath as he readied himself for the moment that would likely repair the crack in his life.

"Three... FIRE!"

Ten bursts of energy shot from the Dinovolvers toward the Energems that stood in a circle at the center of the lab. As they hit the Energems, an explosion of light radiated from them, enveloping all of the Rangers, but they kept their grip and continued firing the power.

"Keep going!" Shelby shouted. "Don't stop! If one of us fails, fire twice as hard!"

The second she uttered those words, she felt her hands begin to burn and a wave of pain crashed over her. She released the blaster for a moment, falling backwards against the wall and demorphing. Tyler gasped as he noticed his girlfriend fall and added more power into his blaster. For a moment, it looked as if it wasn't going to work. Riley was struggling not to slip while firing and Koda was trying not to fall back. Chase began to grow frantic. If they didn't succeed, Kendall would be gone forever. Shelby fought to overcome the dark wave of unconsciousness descending over her like a swooping hawk as she tried to get up.

Chase silently begged Kendall's spirit to let them get it over with and accomplish what they had been seeking to do. Shelby's mocha-colored skin was getting paler by the moment as she attempted to use the strength she did not have.

"Shelby, let us handle this!" the Black Ranger yelled over the roar of the blasters. "We can't let you die too!" The Pink Ranger sighed, but slid back down to the floor.

A howl of wind swept over the Rangers.

"It's working, everyone!" Keeper exclaimed. "Stop firing!"

The Rangers all ceased their crossfire at the same time, but a ball of light remained where they had been shooting at, surrounding the Energems and the area next to it. All of them held their breath as, after a few minutes, it turned purple and began to fade. Chase demorphed and his eyes widened as the light drew back from the Energems and began to assume the distinct shape of a female person. Suddenly, the light exploded outwards and disappeared. Everyone shielded their eyes for a moment, then gasped together. Kendall had returned. She stood still in the previously empty space, blinking in surprise as she looked up, clearing dust off of her glasses.

"I- I'm back?"

"Kendall!" Chase ran forward and wrapped his arms around her, pressing her against him lovingly. Kendall reciprocated the gesture, reveling in the moment that had just greeted her when she'd come back. The rest of them stared with shock and excitement as they demorphed, except for Tyler, who had gone to help Shelby up.

"Kendall, I'm so sorry I couldn't save you before," Chase apologized. "I..."

"It's okay," the Purple Ranger murmured. "You can't save everyone."

Chase pulled away as the other Rangers went to greet her. Prince Phillip, Riley, and Koda hung back.

"Miss Morgan, we have something we need to show you," Ivan said, guiding her back to the three retreating former traitors. Kendall immediately tried to scramble backwards out of Ivan's reach, smashing into Shelby and Tyler, which sent all three of them to the floor. Riley went to boost her up again as Tyler did the same with the Pink Ranger, but Kendall moved away with a panicked look on her face. "How did they get in here?"

"Miss Morgan, calm down!" Shelby cried. "They're on our side now!" Quickly, she repeated what Chase had told them, but Kendall didn't seem convinced.

"How do we know they're telling the truth?" Kendall spat.

Keeper stepped forward and placed one hand on her shoulder. "I believe them," he stated calmly.

"There you have it," Tyler snapped. "If we can't trust Keeper, we can't trust anyone."

Prince Phillip took a few steps toward the Purple Ranger and grasped her hand gently. Kendall flinched, but started to relax at the touch as she looked into his eyes.

"Fine," she agreed at last. "I think I can trust you."

The Prince released her, nodding, and she edged back over to Chase, laying her head on his shoulder. Everyone went over to the Energems and each fetched their own. Kendall held up her Purple Energem and it glinted in the light.

"Now that we've accomplished what we wanted to, why don't we leave Miss Morgan alone so she can recover?" Tyler said, winking at Chase. "You can help her out with that." Both Chase and Kendall laughed.

"Come on, Kendall," Chase suggested. "Follow me." Kendall then allowed the Black Ranger to lead her out of the lab and out of the museum.

"Is Shelby okay?" Keeper inquired when they had left.

"I'm fine," Shelby gasped out, still recuperating from the effects of her previous energy depletion as she leaned against Tyler. The girl avoided the Rangers' gazes by glancing back at where the other two Rangers had just exited the room.

Meanwhile, Chase led Kendall back over to his house, which was no longer a runaway refuge, but just a regular place to live- and bond. As she followed him back up to one of the rooms that wasn't his own, a brief flash of emotion appeared in her eyes. It wasn't like any loving look she had ever shown and she instantly tried to hold it back. Chase let her through first and she clambered onto the bed, taking off her glasses and placing them on the small table next to it. He couldn't help smiling as she glanced back at him with a confused gaze and beckoned him over to her. Chase rolled his eyes and heeded the call.

"Kendall, do you you really need me here?" he sighed. An insightful nod answered him and he swiftly climbed into the bed beside her. Kendall immediately moved closer to him and laid herself against him.

"Chase... I hated that there was a possibility I could be separated from you. When I died, it felt like the world was ripping me away from everything I cared about and when I was brought back, it made me realize that I could never leave you again, not until it was really time."

"I was absolutely depressed when you left as well." Chase wrapped an arm around Kendall and planted a small kiss on her forehead. A small smile formed on her beautiful features and she kissed him back, pressing her lips against his. They both closed their eyes, letting themselves be taken into heaven.

As the last effects of the blissful kiss faded, the two Rangers lay back in the bed together and Chase pulled the sheets up on top of them.

"You ready for a new beginning?" he whispered, curling his body around hers.

"I'm ready and I trust you."

And so their new journey began.


	18. Chapter 18- Heckyl's Prisoner, Part I

The months after Kendall was brought back were almost peaceful. The Rangers rescued Heckyl and he became their ally as they defeated his evil counterpart, Snide, and Sledge. But soon after, Heckyl began to become jealous. He didn't like the fact that Chase and Kendall were in love. In fact, he absolutely despised Chase, though he always pretended to be nice to him. Ever since he had saved her from getting hit by the car, he had wanted her to himself. Maybe he could finally do something about it...

The Rangers had stayed together even after the monster defeat and started/continued working at the Dino Bite Cafe- except for Prince Phillip, who kept doing his natural duties. Kendall now lived at Chase's house with him and because of this, Heckyl became outraged.

 _No one else is allowed to have her! She will be mine!_ he thought angrily as he watched the two of them begin to close up the cafe alone. But as Chase went over to the restrooms and disappeared inside one of the doors, a plan quickly began to form in his head. As Kendall took her hair out of its usual ponytail to organize herself, Heckyl went up behind her and placed a hand on her left shoulder. She turned her head slightly, blinking surprisingly at him. "Oh, Heckyl, it's just you." She handed him the hairband. "Can you help me with this?"

He redid her ponytail, but accomplished the task with one hand, keeping the other where it was. Kendall stared at him in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"I need you." He gently kissed the top of her head.

"What?"

"You're staying with me."

"No, I'm not. Let me go!"

Heckyl tightened his grip and with the other hand, he grasped her right arm and growled, "Stay with me or pay the price."

"Never!"

"Fine," he spat. "Have it your way."

A pale blue light surrounded them and Kendall's frantic cry was cut off as Chase came out of the bathroom just in time to see them vanish. "Kendall!"

When Kendall finally felt her feet hit a solid surface again, she began to run, but instead slammed into a wall of metal bars and fell to the ground. When she got up again, she realized that she was in a cage with solid 3 walls and ceiling and one wall of bars. She looked out of the bars and recognized the prisoner holdings of Sledge's old ship. _How, though? I thought this ship was destroyed!_

"Liking your time here already?" Kendall looked up as Heckyl materialized on the other side of her prison, laughing. "Now, let me have you or you'll be living a miserable life in there."

Kendall's eyes widened as she realized what he meant by that. "No way!"

"One day, Kendall. One day, you will be mine!"

"That's not going to happen!" Her throat grew dry as she said the words and sat down on the bench near the back wall of her cage. Heckyl laughed again and walked away. Kendall sank back against the wall, a year slipping from her eye.

 _He doesn't know what it was like when I was killed and came back to life. He doesn't know the pain I went through. That's what makes him wrong for me, other than the fact that he locked me up and is holding me hostage._

Then she thought of something. She still had her phone. However, she hadn't charged it at the café and it was only at 3%, not to mention that her battery sometimes ran out fast. The first person that popped into her mind was Shelby. Though she had betrayed her before, it hadn't been her fault and she was the one who would rally the rest of the Rangers. Chase would then take over to complete the rescue mission- if there was one. Slowly, she went to her contacts and called Shelby. She answered in about 10 seconds flat, which, however, brought her battery down to 1%.

"Kendall, where are you?"

"Shelby, help! I've been captured! He- he's going to make my life miserable, he said. I need you!"

"Where are you and who has captured you?"

"It's-"

Unfortunately, the battery on Kendall's phone died at that exact moment and the words trailed away. _No, no, NO! This can't be happening!_ More tears ran down her cheeks, but on the inside, she was begging for help in every way she could.

"Here is your food for today." Kendall tearfully looked up again as Heckyl slid his arm between the bars, a tiny bowl of soup clutched in his hand. She glared hatefully at him.

"Do you want it or not?" he snapped.

Kendall sighed, but reached out and took the soup. However, she put it on the floor and didn't take a second glance as Heckyl left again. As soon as he was out of sight, she stood up, took her glasses off, and then rammed herself against the bars, despite knowing that it was no use. The impact caused pain shooting through her body, but in her mind, it felt good. She was bound to go mad sooner or later if she didn't get out of this place. She made up her mind. If they didn't come for her and Heckyl had the best time to make her his, then she would leave. She didn't care where she went or if she died there. This was also Chase's true test for her to know if he truly loved her.

 **Meanwhile...**

"Chase!" Shelby gasped as she dashed into the Dino Bite Café and halted beside the Black Ranger. "I... need... to tell you... something..." She was entirely out of breath.

"Listen, Kendall just disappeared, so I'm trying to find her. What you have to say can wait."

"But that is what I have to say. She's been captured."

"How do you know that?"

"She called me from her phone. However, I think the battery on her phone died before she could tell me who captured her or where she was."

Chase's eyes suddenly blazed with fury. "Heckyl."

"What?"

"Heckyl. He was our ally, but I could see that he liked Kendall and was jealous of me and her being together. I've seen the way he looks at her. It must have been him. It's the best explanation."

"If we find him, he's in big trouble. I'll destroy him with my bare hands!" Shelby snarled. "But... how _do_ we find him?"

 **Back at the ship...**

If I don't get out of here soon, what will happen to me? I can't stay here forever. I can't leave Chase. But what if I can't trust Shelby to help?" she murmured to herself. "What if she was just faking that?"

She didn't know what to do now.

"Who can I trust now?" Kendall sighed. "It feels like... there's nothing left of me."


	19. Chapter 19- Heckyl's Prisoner, Part II

Chase and Shelby found the other Rangers back at the Dino Lab. They both wanted to tell what had happened straight up, but as Keeper joined the group, Chase forced himself to change the words. "Where is Kendall?"

"More importantly," Riley spoke up. "Where is Heckyl? I last saw the two of them together."

Shelby couldn't keep quiet for long. "He's captured her!"

"Heckyl?" the Rangers gasped in unison.

"Yes!"

"How do you come to know this?" Zenowing asked.

"She called me, but her phone went dead before she could tell me where she was. However, Chase told me that he had watched them disappear together."

"Where could they have gone?" James wondered.

Riley began to speak again. "We could trace her call. I know how to do that even when the other phone is dead."

"Are you sure?" Shelby murmured.

"I have to try. It may be our only hope."

 **In Sledge's old ship...**

"Are you ready for it yet?"

"I told you, it's never going to happen!"

For a while, Heckyl had continued checking in with Kendall to ask if she was ready to spend the rest of her life with him. Once she said yes, he would let her go anywhere around the ship, and if she said no for too long, he had a huge surprise in store for her.

"Are you sure?"

"I will always be sure about that! Chase is who I belong with!"

"Very well." Then he slid open the cage door, reached inside, and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her out. Kendall felt a slight glimmer of hope. Was she going to be set free?

It had been too much to hope for. Heckyl forcefully led her down the hall of empty cells to a large, black door. He opened it, threw her inside, and slammed the door behind her as she felt her head hit hard floor. When Kendall stood up again, she realized that the room was pitch-dark and began groping for the wall. She finally touched it, but as soon as she did, a red-orange blaze appeared above her and a roar echoed around the room as a spurt of fire streaked across the middle half of it. Kendall barely managed to dodge it by dropping to the floor, but even then, the bolt followed her and struck her on the side of her neck, throwing her off balance and tossing her against the wall. She attempted to take in a deep breath, but from the stream of fire, smoke had gotten into her and she temporarily couldn't breathe.

 _No! This can't be the end! I need to be with the others again._

But she really was losing hope. More light flooded through the room and it began to grow hot as Kendall realized that it was really on fire. She never even noticed the phone slightly vibrating in her back pocket. Taking in as much breath as she could, she felt the wall again and finally managed to find the door, pushing it open with all the strength the had, which, despite it not being very much, slid the door open and brought her back in bright gray light- and right to Heckyl.

"So..." Heckyl snarled. "That wasn't enough for you?" His gaze temporarily drifted to her legs as she took a step back. "I guess we'll have to take more extreme measures." That's when Kendall knew that this was the moment. Flee or be scarred for life.

She chose to run. With astonishing skill, she dodged around her captor and blindly ran, knowing that she had chosen the right direction when she was able to find her way out of the ship and back into the forest. Heckyl turned around, knowing that she couldn't escape. _She will be mine. I can transport anywhere and I will always find her. If she doesn't accept soon that she must be mine, I will kill her. Better yet, that girl that stopped me from accomplishing one of my first plans- is it Shelby? - could be the one to die if Kendall doesn't come with me. Yes. If she says no, I'll destroy Shelby slowly and painfully. She will stay with me after that for sure._

Kendall stopped running after a while when her energy had drained out of her. Unfortunately, she now didn't know where she was. It must have been in Amber Beach, but how would she know where the other Rangers were? But finally, she reached the streets.

"Kendall?" She jumped in surprise as Shelby's voice rang out behind her. Kendall spun around and saw the Pink Ranger rushing toward her happily. Before she knew it, the Pink Ranger pulled her into an embrace and she instantly returned it. She hadn't been gone for long but to her, it had felt like a eternity.

"God, I thought Heckyl had done something bad to you!" Shelby sighed. She stepped back for a moment, looking concerned. "He didn't, did he?"

"No."

But at that moment, Heckyl was, unbeknownst to the two Rangers, hiding behind a tree, listening. Instead of his plan for killing Shelby, he decided to use her once again. He could get the Pink Ranger to hold her in the Dino Lab, while temporarily maintaining a distraction for Keeper somewhere else, and she would attack her again. Once he succeeded in getting inside again, he could threaten Kendall with the fact that he would use Shelby to hurt Chase and her even more if she did not come. Yes, it was a great plan, since he could still control at least one person at a time. He concentrated, pushing his power out into Shelby, and feeling a strange rush of warmth inside him as his powers reached inside her head and took control of her mind and actions. Shelby froze, blinking a few times, and Heckyl attempted to make her walk back over to Kendall. When that was exactly what she did, he knew at last that he had complete control over her, especially when her eyes glowed bright red for a quick moment. That was easily noticed by her friend.

"Shelby, are you okay?" Kendall murmured, uneasily placing a hand on the other girl's shoulder. Shelby put both of her own hands over it, grasping it tightly, and Heckyl struggled not to laugh and risk being discovered as he plotted for what to do next. He continued to set about putting the next phase of his plan into action.

In the blink of an eye, Shelby held on to Kendall's arm as she flipped her onto her back towards the ground. Kendall gasped as pain shot up her spine. "Shelby, what is wrong with you?" She didn't answer, but instead lifted her up again and slammed her back onto the pavement. Kendall groaned as she rolled onto her stomach. Shock pulsed through her as Shelby raised her foot and harshly crashed it down on her.

"Shelby, I know why you're doing this." That was all Kendall had time to whisper until unconsciousness fell over her, strength conclusively abandoning her body as her eyes closed.


	20. Chapter 20- A Ranger's Fate

When Kendall finally woke up, she realized that she had been transported to the Dino Lab back at the museum. She attempted to get up and run forward, but ran straight into Shelby, who stood in front of her as if she were a brick wall.

"Shelby?" she voiced uncertainly. "What did you do?"

"Why, my servant here brought me back to you," a different voice called from behind the Pink Ranger as Kendall drew back. _Heckyl!_ It was him.

"What have you done to her?" Kendall snarled.

"Relax, Morgan. All I did was take over her mind to bring you here."

"Well, let her go!"

"I intend to. She has served her purpose. I can now track you anywhere you go."

"What do you mean by that?"

"My powers give me the ability to teleport myself to any location. All I needed was for Shelby here- I chose her because she was near you -to insert the tiniest microchip ever seen into your neck. That chip allows me to find out where you are and transport myself accordingly."

Shock pulsed through Kendall. She knew she could never escape him again.

Heckyl continued, "I have no further use for your friend and she will not be released unless you stay with me." His eyes flashed. "Or when I release her, I will kill you."

"I would never reside with a heathen like you!"

Heckyl procured a sword out of midair and held it up as she proclaimed those words. Kendall closed her eyes as she waited for inevitable death to hit her. It never came and so, she opened her eyes. Heckyl was staring intently at a red-eyed Shelby and as he held up his hands, the red from her eyes seemed to flow into him and disappeared from her. She pressed a hand to her forehead and blinked a few times, her brief expression one of confusion. Then she seemed to realize where she was and who was with her and moved instinctively to shield Kendall.

The one who had controlled her before didn't move for a moment. He stayed where he was, his gaze focused on Kendall before moving to the girl trying to protect her. Then, as quick as a flash, he charged, striking the Pink Ranger with his sword, and slashing it in a thick line across her neck. Kendall gasped as she collapsed without making a sound. "Shelby!"

"This is what becomes of her since you did not follow my wishes," Heckyl growled.

"No!" Kendall wailed, throwing herself onto her knees beside Shelby. Blood pooled out of the other girl's throat, soaking her hands. Shelby's eyes were wide and she coughed a few times, struggling for breath. She lifted her arm to place her hand upon Kendall's shoulder.

"I'm sorry I did this to you," she murmured. "I deserve to die."

"No, you don't!"

"But Heckyl can do anything to you now! He can find you anywhere."

"That wasn't your fault."

"Yes, it was. I should have fought against his control."

"I don't think you could have, though. Anyway..." Kendall wasn't thinking straight at that moment. "Can't they just do what they did to me to bring you back?"

"Kendall, it's not that simple. It took up almost all my energy to do it to you and same with the others. Plus, if it happened again, you couldn't bring me back a second time. I'd rather be gone from the first time."

"NO!" Kendall cried. She turned toward Heckyl. "If you don't let her die, I promise I'll stay with you. Willingly."

"But, as dear Shelby here pointed out, I can find you anywhere," he pointed out. "Why should I do that?"

"Do you really want me or not?" she snarled.

"You're right," Heckyl laughed. "Fine, I will do it."

Kendall held her breath. This was the only time she would make a promise she couldn't keep. Unbeknownst to her unnatural thoughts, he went over to them and pushed the Purple Ranger away. A deep blue light instantly covered Shelby, then disappeared as quickly as it had come. Kendall leaned over his shoulder and her heart skipped a beat. He really did have the power to heal. Now she just had to get her out of there...

"Okay, now get away from her!" Kendall narrowed her eyes and Heckyl backed off. Shelby seemed to have been refilled with energy too, so she quickly exited the room, running as fast as her long legs could carry her. But then came Kendall's mistake of trying to follow. Heckyl had very sharp eyes and could clearly see she was trying to dupe him. He moved forward rapidly and pulled her back, furiously wrapping his hands around her throat.

"Hey!" she snapped.

"Remind me never to trust you again." He flexed his fingers, readying himself at the perfect opportunity to snap her neck.

"Please... don't..."

He loosened his grip, but did not release her completely. "I am beginning to see why Snide hated you so much. Well, no matter." A sly smile appeared on his face. "I will love having fun with you." Then he tightened his grasp again. Stars exploded behind Kendall's eyes and soon, the Dino Lab blurred and went pitch dark.

 **(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((**

Consciousness found her again after a while, but Kendall found that she couldn't move. Wherever she had been taken, it was completely black and her body was chained to a hard surface at her arms, legs, neck, and waist. Her vest and top were gone, leaving only her white sports bra upon her upper half and the rest of her body felt cold as an air conditioner blew full current onto her. Her jeans had been replaced by petite white shorts, her hair had been taken out of a ponytail, letting her long hair hang loose around her shoulders, and her glasses had been removed.

"Heckyl, stop this right now," she moaned desperately. "If you really loved me, you wouldn't do anything like this."

"I don't care." There was a mix of a hiss and a laugh in his voice from wherever he was. "To restate what I said before, I'm going to love having fun with you."

Kendall shivered. _I hope that if he hurts me, I'll pass out from the pain and I won't have to endure it anymore._

She felt a warm hand rub over her stomach and flinched. "Get away from me!"

"Not a chance." The hand moved up to her shoulder and rough lips crashed against hers. She tried to pull away, but another hand snaked around her and stationed her head in place. As the harsh kiss ended, the chains on her legs pulled back, leaving them hanging in the air.

"Be ready for anything, my lovely Kendall."


	21. Chapter 21- Scarred

Kendall hated being helpless, not to mention the fact that she was partly exposed to someone she didn't want to be with. Heckyl was going to disgrace her, hurt her, and kill her. She closed her eyes.

"Keep your eyes open! I want you to see everything," Heckyl commanded. A bright light flashed through the room and Kendall could now see that she was now in the forbidden storage room of the museum, strapped to the wall at the back. Her heart began to beat faster as she spotted Heckyl standing in front of her, looking her up and down, which made her feel immensely uncomfortable.

"Can you please... stop staring at me like that?"

"But I haven't gotten to see you like this anytime," Heckyl smirked. "I want to drink in your despair." He stepped closer to her and pushed his hand against her left arm, digging his sharp nails into her skin. No pain struck Kendall until he began to slide them down her arm, creating bright trails of blood from deep cuts. She bit her lip not to cry out. He removed it again and slipped on a pair of dark gloves. Then he gently wiped the scarlet off her arm, licking the blood off his hand as if he were a vampire. After they were cleaned, his hands moved over to the rest of her body, one of them circling her waist and the other brushing her chest, rubbing at the spot where her heart beat. Kendall's body grew rigid as he pressed against her, releasing her from the rest of the chains holding her to the wall. She instantly attempted to run, but Heckyl smashed her against it again and she fell to the floor.

"Ow!" she groaned.

"Get up!" He snatched her off the floor and that's when she noticed that he had taken her glasses, morpher, Dino-Com and Energem, and placed them near the other wall. Heckyl noticed her eyeing them and smiled wickedly. "You want your friends to see you? Very well." He chained her to the wall again and picked up the Dino-Com, pointing the camera at Kendall before activating one of the buttons and speaking. "Rangers, I have a friend of yours with me right here. Get a good look at her, because it will be the last you see of her before she's mine forever." The screen brightened and Chase's concerned face appeared in the frame.

"Heckyl?" His eyes blazed before widening. "What have you done to her?"

Heckyl glared at him. "This was your fault. You know that I wanted her and you took her for yourself."

"I didn't take her from anyone! I actually loved her and she loved me back."

"Yeah!" Kendall agreed.

"Be quiet!" Heckyl slammed his fist against her and she winced as blood poured out of the side of her mouth.

"Don't touch her!" Chase shouted.

"What's going on?" Someone else pushed Chase over a bit and two more people slid into view. It was Tyler and his dad.

"Kendall!" James gasped. "Where are you and what happened?"

"We've seen something like this in the news before," Tyler realized. His voice formed into a growl. "You're not going to rape her, are you?"

"I would never go so low as that," Heckyl retorted, though he did have a slight hidden motive.

"You're already underground," the Red Ranger roared. "I wouldn't put it past you. Release her this instant!"

"I'm in the forbidden storage room!" Kendall yelled. "Please help!" Her face was burning with the shame of needing help, but she forced herself to stay strong.

"It's locked. Don't even bother trying," Heckyl chuckled, shutting off the Dino-Com and turning back to his captive. He snapped his fingers and suddenly, a knife flew from the other side of the room right into his waiting hand. Kendall tried to struggle out of her bonds, hissing as her skin was seared from the metal every time she attempted to escape.

"Try to escape me and this knife is going straight through your heart." He compressed it against her chest, nicking the skin.

Kendall gulped. "I thought you were our friend. We rescued you from Snide because we thought you deserved to be our ally and friend." Heckyl readied a blow to her head, but she kept talking. "You shouldn't even be working at this museum." Sweat was rolling down her face and neck. "I don't understand why you'd do this to me."

"SHUT UP!" he shouted. His weapon flashed through the air and Kendall screamed in pain as waves of blood began streaming from the side of her head. Heckyl used his chance and stabbed her once more in the stomach, reveling in her shrieks of misery and suffering. He thrust the dagger into her legs twice each as well and her cries evidently faded as she passed out. He undid her shackles and she slid to the floor.

"Heckyl, are you in there?" a voice hollered from outside the room. "Let Kendall go!"

"Never!"

Then an explosion shook the ground as the door was blasted open and the Black Ranger burst into the area, his fists up and ready to fight. He was unmorphed, but his eyes burned ferociously. His blaster was pointed right at Heckyl, but when he saw Kendall, he lowered it.

"K- Kendall?" he breathed in disbelief. "No... what did he do to you?" His mouth curled into a snarl. "How dare you!"

Heckyl threw the bloody knife at him, but he avoided it and it buried itself in the wall behind him.

"Don't even think about it!" Tyler spat as he and his father fanned out beside Chase. The Purple Ranger's tormentor stepped back and planted his foot on her body, right above the bleeding injury on her abdomen. "I told you she's mine."

"No!" Chase rushed toward him, firing his blaster over and over again and each time, Heckyl avoided it by dodging away and finally, he raced out of the room. Chase followed with a slight nod at Tyler and James, who ran over to the unconscious Kendall.

"Kendall... God, I can't believe he'd be so cruel." Tyler inhaled a sharp breath as he saw her condition. Why did it seem like everyone was turning against her?

James blinked as her eyes opened for a minute, staring straight at the Red and Aqua Rangers. Then suddenly, she moved, reaching her arm out to touch Tyler with a whimper, then a wail ripped from her as she rolled onto her side.

"She's in critical condition," Tyler continued. "We have to save her."

"Grab her morpher." James nodded to the possessions Heckyl had taken from her. "I'll get her to the hospital. I promise, we won't let her die."

 _But she will be scarred for life,_ he silently added. He couldn't believe that someone would expose her like this and torture her just for their own desire. There had to be some deeper meaning behind his love for her.

"Kendall, I owe you so much," he sighed. "I promise, I will not let you go. Chase would never forgive me if I did."


	22. Chapter 22- Friends and Allies

After his failed attempt to destroy Heckyl, Chase was completely enraged. Keeper had found out about their predicament and managed to keep Kendall alive with his own healing abilities, but she had lost a lot of blood and the wound on her stomach was becoming infected. Chase had borrowed some equipment from a nearby hospital and taken it to his house, but the Purple Ranger had remained unconscious for a number of weeks while her friends had tried to stop the infection from spreading through her. Despite their efforts, it had passed through her body quickly and Kendall had become horribly sick. The hospital hadn't been able to do much for her and the Rangers, especially Shelby and Chase, were becoming worried. What if she never woke up? However, there was also the issue of the the tracking chip implanted in her neck as well. If they tried to remove it, that could result in bigger trouble. Chase paced anxiously around his house, trying not to imagine that his girlfriend was slowly perishing right in front of him.

"Heckyl's going to pay for this," he hissed between clenched teeth. "If Kendall dies, he's going to have to deal with me. Nevertheless, we'll still have to contend with him."

"Chase?" The Black Ranger jumped in surprise as the tiniest of voices reached his ears and he spun around, his gaze immediately reaching the injured girl on the bed.

"Kendall, you're awake!"

"I wish I wasn't." She grimaced as he sat on the edge of her bed. "This hurts! Can someone just kill me already?" Her long hair rustled as she tried to sit up. "I'd rather have that than this!"

"I don't want to lose you, though," Chase pointed out. "I'd be just like Heckyl if I did that to you. Speaking of..." He leaned closer to her. "Do you think that it would have had a different outcome if you'd protested."

"Of course. He would have killed me!"

"Kendall..."

"Is Shelby here?"

"Actually, Tyler and his dad are waiting with her downstairs. Do you want me to send them up?"

"Yes, please." Her body shuddered and Chase rested a hand on her chest. She hadn't been transferred out of the outfit she had been tortured in, which scared him a bit, but he refused to let himself show it.

"All of them?"

"Y- yes."

"Very well." Chase exited the room and traveled down the stairs. Shelby was down there, shivering as she cried in Tyler's arms. He was sitting in a soft chair, with her on his lap. James was attempting to comfort her, but she shoved him away as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Is she okay?" he asked.

Tyler looked up and shook his head. "She thinks that if she had stayed, Kendall wouldn't be in the position she's in now."

"I don't think that would have helped," Chase said uncertainly. "If anything, it would have made things worse."

"She doesn't believe that, though." The Red Ranger gently stroked Shelby's hair and she sat up, sniffing. "She blames herself wholly for Kendall's incident."

"Well, she's asking for you three."

James blinked in shock. "She's woken up?"

"Yes. Now, come on. Shelby, you'll be fine."

She rolled her eyes as Tyler lifted her off his lap, but trudged upstairs with the other Rangers as they led her upstairs to Kendall's room, motioning her to go in first.

"Uh..." Shelby tilted her head to the side nervously. "Wh- where is she?"

"What do you mean?" Chase directed her aside and he and the others filed in. "What?"

Kendall was gone.

"No!" Shelby stepped back, her breathing growing faster. "What happened?"

Tyler put an arm around her and caught her as she fell backwards against him.

"We have to find her!" Chase gasped. His eyes narrowed. "I think I might know where she is."

 **((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((**

"Come on!" Heckyl snarled, pushing Kendall forward as he shoved her through a small, iron door. She couldn't walk, yet he kept making her travel toward his underground chamber. She didn't know what they'd find there, but had a feeling that she was going to die.

 _Why did I ask Chase to get Shelby, Tyler, and James? I am so stupid!_

"Move it!" The man behind her roughly grabbed her by the arm and moved in front as he dragged her down the thin corridor. Kendall closed her eyes as the path eventually widened out into a cavern, with walls made of hard stone. Heckyl shoved her harshly against the wall after ripping the stitches from her infected injury, making her cry out in agony as scarlet welled from her midsection. The pain rushing through her was overwhelming and she hated it.

"Get up!" Heckyl commanded. When she slowly began to stand again, he growled at her. "Faster!"

"I can't believe this!" she shouted, fury spilling out of her. "We never should have helped you! Kill me if you want, but just know that I will die with those thoughts in my head!"

Heckyl's sneer wavered and he turned away from her. "This was the only way I could get you all for myself," he muttered softly.

"Heckyl, it would be the best thing to just stay friends if I already have someone on my mind," Kendall sighed desperately. "Please... don't do this to me." She was willing to forgive him if he could save her.

"Fine." He nodded, then hung his head as he knelt down next to her. "I'm sorry, Kendall."

A slight flash of relief ran through her gaze.

"But first, I have to get that chip out of your neck."

She winced. "Will it hurt?"

"Not if you stay still and first let me get those stitches back in you."

"Are you sure I can trust you?"

"Yes. I promise." His hand found hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I just need to find a few things. In the meantime..." He held up a small, red pill. "...please take this and everything will be fine." When she obeyed, he redid her stitches and left to find more things to help her. Kendall gazed blearily at him as he left, hoping that she wasn't making the wrong decision.

 **(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((**

"Found anything yet?" Shelby asked Riley frantically. The two of them had borrowed some tracking gadgets from another laboratory and were trying to lock onto Kendall to find her. Unfortunately, they had yet to find anything incriminating. The rest of the Rangers milled around the Dino Lab anxiously.

"No." Riley shook his head. "Either the chip was removed and destroyed or she's somewhere... underground."

"Underground?" Shelby stepped back. "How could that be possible?"

"Would you really put that past him?" the Green Ranger snapped.

"Good point."

"There's no need for that." Hearing Heckyl's voice behind her put Shelby on high alert and she spun around. Kendall was limping right beside him, her long hair messed up and a tired expression on her pale face.

"Kendall, there you are!" Shelby ran forward and gently led her away from him, her eyes narrowed. Koda, Ivan, and Prince Phillip went to help her as she advanced on Heckyl.

"Shelby, don't!" Kendall gasped, panting as she leaned on Koda's shoulder.

"But he-"

"Wonder why you couldn't find me? He already removed the chip!"

"Are you sure?"

"Would I lie about something I experienced myself?" Everyone could see that she was trying to add venom to her words, but in her current condition, it wasn't really possible.

"N- no," Shelby stammered.

Heckyl backed up a few steps. "Listen, I know that I did some terrible things when I first realized I loved her, but Chase..." He turned to the Black Ranger. "...she deserves you, not me."

"He's going to change," Kendall clarified. "I promise, he's telling the truth."

"Well, if Kendall trusts you..." Prince Phillip voiced.

"I wanted to stop him when Snide controlled you, but I couldn't do anything about it; he was too powerful."

"I believe you, Heckyl." Keeper walked into the middle of the group, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"If Keeper trusts him," Chase sighed, "then I guess I do too."

"Thank you," Kendall murmured. "I- I..." She groaned as her eyes closed and Koda caught her as she fell.

"The only medicines that can help her are found on the planet of Terra Venture," Heckyl explained. "I will go for them."

"Be careful," Keeper told him. "I will help you." He readied his staff. "Have a safe trip."

As he disappeared, Chase walked slowly toward Kendall.

 _Let's hope he gets back in time,_ he thought. _I can't lose her again._


	23. Chapter 23- Nightmares

Chase began to grow desperate as he watched Kendall suffer. He had managed to bring her back to his house, but still knew she was dying and hated the feeling. He felt obligated to destroy everyone who had ever hurt her, but knew that wasn't possible. He had changed her outfit to what it had been before Heckyl had tried to expose her and reapplied some of the original medicines that had kept most of her wounds from being infected before placing her back in bed. He knelt down beside her, his panic growing. As gently as he could do, he lifted up her shirt and glanced at the horrible laceration stretching across her stomach. It was growing irritated and red, the color and infection beginning to spread through her.

"Kendall... I can't bear to see you like this," he sighed. "I wish this was all a dream."

Chase's Dino-Com began to vibrate and he silently cursed. An emergency called for his full attention and he had to leave. But first, what was happening?

"What's going on?" he called.

Tyler's voice echoed out of the communicator. "It's Arcanon. He's downtown. You can leave Kendall for a little while."

"Fine." With one last glance back at his love, he ran out of the house and traveled to where his friends were, morphing on the way. "Unleash the power!"

"Just in time!" Tyler shouted. He and his father had just been knocked to the ground, as were Zenowing, Riley, Koda, and Ivan. Only Prince Phillip and Shelby were still standing, but they were barely holding on to their morph as they battled. Chase rushed forward and threw a flurry of attacks at Arcanon. However, he dodged every single one of them, still holding on to the Graphite and Pink Rangers by their necks, who were now forced to release their morph.

"Let my friends go!" Chase roared.

"Choose one," Arcanon laughed.

"Never!"

"Release Prince Phillip!" Shelby gasped. "Do what you want with me, just let him go!"

"As you wish, little girl." Arcanon threw the Prince onto the ground by the others, but kept his grip on Shelby. She aimed a few kicks at him, but that only seemed to make him angrier. As Chase tried to attack him again, he sidestepped and darted to and fro behind him.

"Come near me again. I dare you."

"Chase, don't!" Tyler begged. "He'll snap her neck if you go any closer!"

"She's going to die, despite anything you do," Arcanon interjected.

The two sides stood looking at each other, both daring the other to make the first move, when a piercing screech rang through the air.

"LET SHELBY GO!"

 _Kendall?_

The injured girl was running as fast as she could toward her friends. As she leaped into the air, she quickly morphed into the Purple Ranger and thrust her sword toward Arcanon. When it hit him, he fell backwards, releasing Shelby, who crouched on the ground, coughing, and when Kendall landed back on her feet, she instantly demorphed again, her glasses falling to the ground and smashing against the pavement.

"You'll pay for this!" the monster king snarled. He got up and immediately released a hard surge of power at her. She barely avoided it and ran to attack again. Arcanon put up his sword to defend himself and slashed a large cut in Kendall's shoulder. She gasped in pain, but continued darting in from all sides to release flurries of punches and kicks.

"Run!" she yelled at the others. "I can hold him off!"

"Are you crazy?" James snapped. "Look at yourself!"

Kendall's brief moment of distraction was enough for Arcanon and his sword crashed down on her many times. However, she kept fighting, oblivious to the blood that was streaming down her body and the continuous wounds being cut from her flesh.

"STOP!" Tyler, James, Riley, Prince Phillip, Ivan, Koda, Shelby and Zenowing morphed again and with Chase taking the lead, they charged toward Arcanon. The impact of all 9 Rangers sent him flying and he growled as he hit the ground. With her opponent temporarily gone, Kendall collapsed, her strength and energy diminished.

"Kendall!" Chase called as he knelt down beside her. "Kendall, can you hear me?"

She barely moved, other than trying to stop scarlet dripping from her mouth. Her efforts for that were futile and she began choking. Luckily, Tyler knew just what to do and though it caused her a great deal of agony, he managed to help her breathe again. Her eyes were barely open and after the Red Ranger finished his current job, she made an attempt to speak.

"I- I'm not going to make it through this," she whispered. "Please... don't try to save me. You'll only put yourself in danger."

"Kendall, I would give my life for you," Chase protested. "Don't do this to yourself. And... why did you come when you're in your current condition?"

"It wouldn't have mattered if I killed myself in that battle. Shelby couldn't die."

"But I didn't want you to die for me!" Shelby yelled anxiously, leaning over her with a wild look in her eyes as she demorphed.

"I don't care." Tears came to her eyes. "I loved working here at the museum, but after this, I don't think my life will ever be the same again. In fact..." She took in a slow, labored breath. "...I may not have a life after this."

"But..." Chase glanced back at Arcanon, but he was gone. "What happened to him?"

"What's going on here?" Heckyl had returned.

"We need your help!" Ivan looked up. "She came to save us... she wasn't strong enough..."

"No!" Heckyl was immediately at her side.

"Kendall, I promise we'll get you to a hospital. That's all we can do for you right now," Chase told her.

"No," Kendall cried, shaking her head. "Don't try."

"I don't care if you think you'll die, the important thing is that you won't on my watch."

"Chase!"

"Kendall, I love you and I won't let you die like this!"

That silenced her and everyone else backed away as he picked her up. Tyler was hugging a crying Shelby, while Prince Phillip, Koda, Ivan, and Riley stood around remorsefully. James and Zenowing were silent and expressionless, but the other Rangers knew that emotion was bursting inside of them. Chase instinctively knew where the hospital was and set off toward his destination.

The Black Ranger couldn't sleep well that night. Even with the comforting warmth of Shelby and Tyler beside him (Shelby had insisted on sleeping at his house and Tyler had wanted to stay with her), his nightmares were undisturbed by anyone else.

 _Kendall was beside him while both were rushing toward a battle. Sledge had sent all of his fiercest monsters to Earth and they had gotten there too late. Most of their friends were immobilized and both Shelby and Ivan were dead. It was up to the two of them._

 _The Purple Ranger rushed into battle too quickly. She was immediately injured by countless sword slashes and multiple blasters. Chase tried to help, but his feet were practically cemented into the ground. He could only watch helplessly as the scene in front of him unfolded. Had to watch Kendall slain right in front of him, crying out for help one last time before one of her attackers cut her throat and she fell lifeless to the ground, right beside the mutilated bodies of Shelby and Ivan._

 _"Kendall!" he cried. And she was gone._

"No!" Chase screamed, bolting upwards in bed, his skin covered in a sliver sheen of sweat.

"Chase, are you okay?" Shelby and Tyler had woken up to his cry.

"Shelby, you're alive!" He gently wrapped his arms around her and she blinked in confusion. "Of course I am. Are you okay?" Chase shook his head as he pulled back.

"What happened, man?" Tyler asked.

Chase sighed. "I had a nightmare. All of the Rangers were unable to fight and Shelby... you and Ivan were dead. Kendall went into battle and I tried to help her, but I was frozen. Literally. I absolutely couldn't move and it wasn't fear. She was immediately killed in the battle and I knew that it was my fault we'd lost Earth to Sledge."

Shelby put a hand on his shoulder. "It's all right. It's over now."

"I'm not so sure," Chase worried. "When I watched that battle, I kept remembering when Arcanon defeated her. She's still in critical danger and it's entirely possible she might not make it. Before was one thing, but if she dies here, I'll never see her again."

"Let's get some rest, Chase," Tyler groaned. "I have confidence that she'll still be alive when we wake up again."

Shelby nodded. "I agree. Let's not worry about it now." The expression on her face showed that she was extremely afraid, but both Chase and Tyler knew better than to comment, especially for their own sakes as well.

Chase tried to get to sleep, but the same nightmares as before plagued his thoughts every time he closed his eyes. He made up his mind that the second he woke up again, he'd get dressed and head straight to the hospital.


	24. Chapter 24- Visit To Heartbreak

Chase was as good as his word. The next day, he woke up before Tyler and Shelby at 6:30, got dressed, and barely ate a bite of breakfast before he took off for the hospital. It was a short walk, but to him, it felt like a hundred miles. By the time he got there, his fear had reached its peak. Worse yet, he later found out that Kendall was sicker than ever and it was doubtful that she could stay alive. However, the Black Ranger was still desperate to see her; he had to actually catch sight of how she was doing. As he followed a doctor down the hall, Chase felt a sharp sting in his chest. This nearly pushed him to a breaking point, as it seemed to be the signal that something severe was happening to Kendall.

The doctor then led him down a darker hall toward yet another door. Chase's heart began to beat faster as he saw a sign marked with the bright red word "EMERGENCY" above him. Was she really doing that badly? Then he remembered the many wounds he'd seen on her body before and grimaced slightly. He just wanted to believe it wasn't true.

"Here you are," Doctor Mason told him, stopping beside a door with a large warning sign on the front of it. "Room 317, Kendall Morgan. I have to warn you though..." His face grew serious. "...to not get your hopes up for her. We're doing everything we can, but she may not make it through this."

Chase forced himself to take a deep breath. "Thank you," he murmured, "for all you've done to keep her alive."

The doctor tilted his head to one side. "She seems really important to you," he commented. "Are you siblings?"

"No."

"Then it must be love."

"That's exactly it."

"I can keep you posted, but I do have some good and bad news to tell you right now."

Chase was immediately alert. "What's the good news?"

"The antibiotics we're using on her are starting to slow the infection inside her. Even though we may not be able to release her from the hospital for a while, they may slow it enough for her to begin holding her own for a while."

"Um... what about the bad news?"

"Listen... uh... what's your name?"

"Chase. Chase Randall."

"Listen, Chase," Mason whispered. "Even if she survives and the infection goes away, there's a very high chance that... she may never be able to walk again."

"A- are you sure?"

"I said that there's a chance, but it's true that it may happen. However, I have to say again that she might not stay alive."

"I just hope that she does. But is there a way you can make sure she does survive and is able to walk again?"

"It would require a lot of surgery and she needs to stay in the hospital for as long as it takes. She may be let out for certain periods of time, but any more injuries may kill or paralyze her forever."

"I understand."

"You may go in now." Dr. Mason slowly opened the door and let Chase in before entering himself and closing the entrance again as he turned on the light.

"Kendall?"

The wounds that had been plaguing her so much since Arcanon had attacked were clearly visible on her body underneath the see-through bandages. Kendall was laying motionless with her eyes closed on her side. Her hair was splayed out under her head and many tubes ran from her right arm into a vibrating machine at the side of her bed. Most of her body was laid bare, showing the clear, angry wound on her stomach. It was obvious that the infection had damaged more of her, as severe redness was stretching over her left leg and even with tightly closed eyes, the expression on her face was one of great pain. At Chase's gentle call, she shifted around slightly, but her eyes didn't open. Chase inched closer to her bed, slowly reaching out toward her. Kendall's skin was colder than ice, the slight rise and fall of her chest being all that told him she was alive. He gently rubbed her arm and she moaned.

"Careful," Mason warned. "There comes a few times when she can't breathe because she moves too much."

"Sorry."

"You'll be sorry if you kill her by accident."

Chase glared at him before turning back to his love. It was killing him to see her like she was, but he couldn't leave her. Not when he knew what was really happening.

"Kendall, please wake up," he sighed.

Surprisingly, as if she had heard him, Kendall attempted to sit up and her eyelids flickered as she tried to open them and hardly succeeded.

"Chase, is that you?" she whispered in the most inaudible way. He calmly went and sat on the edge of the bed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked quietly.

"What does it look like?" she snapped. Then she softened up a bit. "Sorry, I've just been really moody since you brought me here." A scared look crossed her face as she laid her head in his lap.

"I'm okay with that." Chase slowly stroked her hair with the slightest care. "It's perfectly understandable. I know how much you're hurting right now."

A flash of relief crossed her beautiful features before it turned back into pain, a tear slipping down her cheek. "I'm glad that I saved you guys."

"I'm not, though," Chase sniffed. "Shelby would have been glad to die for you if she knew what you were going through."

"I know." Kendall shuddered. "But I would never have forgiven myself if I'd let her die. I know I was hard on her most of the time, but this was the chance to show her that I can be forgiven. You should have known I wouldn't stay back when you left to fight Arcanon."

Chase laughed. "Yeah, I should have known."

"You're finally-" The Black Ranger's grin faded as the girl in his arms began coughing, which didn't seem to be a big deal until the first tiny droplets, then slight groups of red started coming with it, forming into tiny pools of blood on the bed. She frantically tried to stop it herself, then just let it go as she began to choke on it.

"It's okay, Chase, she'll be fine." Mason quickly took action after her boyfriend rapidly lifted her back into the bed. The doctor quickly grabbed a syringe and a bottle from a table, then took the Ranger's place and held it up. This is where Chase couldn't bear to watch. Kendall was suffering so much and they couldn't do much about it. He had to leave, but he couldn't make his feet move.

It seemed like almost an hour before Kendall was able to be stabilized again. Chase bowed his head as he knelt down beside the bed again, gently taking his girlfriend's hand. She gulped and stared up at him with a frightened gaze.

"I'm going to avenge you," he proclaimed. "I'm going to rally the others and we're going to destroy Arcanon for what he did to you." He looked straight into her brown eyes. "Don't try to save anyone again. You'll kill yourself if you do. Promise me you won't come."

Kendall shook her head. "I can't make that promise." The fear disappeared from her eyes and she met Chase's look with an even one of her own. "I'll try to restrain myself, but there's no guarantee that I won't come. I can escape and I don't care if I die in that battle. You're my friends and I will not stand by and watch you get destroyed."


	25. Chapter 25- Arcanon's Final Act

Chase woke the others early the following day and they all exercised and trained that morning, wanting to be ready to battle Arcanon. Deep down, all 9 of them were afraid, especially since none of them would put it past Kendall to escape the hospital and try to fight with them.

"Chase..." Shelby sighed, walking in a wobbly line over to him. "Where did Tyler go?"

"He's inside." Chase caught the Pink Ranger as she stumbled. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"That's not true. Something is wrong with you."

Shelby sniffed. "Is it that obvious?"

"You can't even walk straight. We haven't been training _that_ hard."

"I- I'm just worried about Kendall. Even though she was hard on me at first, I feel like she's a really important part of my life, but I can't get the thought out of my head that it's eventually going to come down to saving her or Tyler."

"But you love Tyler and Kendall would always be willing to sacrifice herself for her friends. Just don't think about it now."

"Fine." Shelby turned away from him and limped back into the house. Only Chase, Riley, Koda, James, and Zenowing remained outside.

Zenowing came up behind Chase. "Don't worry about her. Continue training with us."

The distraction was great, but the training kept reminding everyone of the huge threat growing near. This only made them more fierce, almost as if they were fighting for their life.

 **((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((**

The bright sun was overwhelming as Kendall opened the window, letting the light pour into her room. She knew that her friends were going to fight Arcanon and she couldn't let that happen. Despite the pain rushing through her body as well, she felt full of energy and strength. She had to find her enemy before the other Rangers did. Glancing left and right and seeing no one, which made her let out a breath of relief, she grabbed the windowsill and swung herself out. Little did she know that someone had seen her go. A clone of Doctor Mason, who rubbed his hands together gleefully. "She wants to fight, so be it."

Freedom felt so exhilarating! But Kendall's brief moment of excitement was darkened when she remembered what her mission was, not to mention that she might not survive fulfilling it. The emotions were overwhelming her, but she forced herself to press on. Thoughts of the Rangers were whizzing through her mind, but she shoved them away as gradually as she could.

Then came the thing that she had not planned for at all. A blast of agony like a foghorn ripped through her, sending her to her knees in the grass. Kendall bit her lip to not scream, but it was extremely hard. The overpowering torture was killing her, but she made herself stand up and walk. The pain grew with every step, but Kendall tried to move with confidence. After a half hour, she found herself next to the ravine that had nearly caused her death before, when Prince Phillip, Riley, and Koda had been manipulated into betraying her.

"Looking for me?" The Purple Ranger spun around, shock pulsing through her veins. _Arcanon, you are going down!_

"Of course I am!" she spat, balling her hands into fists. "And I'm going to make you pay for everything you've done! You're never going to hurt anyone again!"

Arcanon considered her, which made Kendall glad that she had slipped on some actual clothes on top of her bandages before she'd left the hospital. "You have no chance against me. Our battle from before has weakened you. Let this be your last."

 _What have I gotten myself into?_

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Chase's Dino-Com began vibrating incessantly as he entered his house. He glanced at it and Shelby's blurry face stared up at him.

"I've found Arcanon's location!" she shouted. "I tracked him and I'm going after him!"

"Does Tyler know about this?"

"No! Bring everyone with you!"

The Black Ranger immediately did as she said. Shelby's face faded from the communicator as she sent him the coordinates and Chase rounded up the rest of the Rangers.

"What's going on?" James asked.

"Shelby went after Arcanon and we're going after her!"

Chase didn't know how long it took them to get to where they were, but he immediately recognized the place. Shelby was standing near the edge of the fateful ravine, looking around desperately.

"Where is he?" Tyler asked.

"I tracked him here, but I don't know!"

What then scared the Rangers was that Arcanon's voice came echoing out of the ravine. "I'm over here! Come down and fight me; join your friend!"

"What does he mean by that last part?" Riley wondered.

They all thought about that for a minute, then Shelby let out a gasp and morphed instantly, leaping into the chasm.

"What she see?" Koda asked.

"With that reaction, I think I know." Tyler motioned the others to morph as well with him.

"Dino charger, ready! Energize, ha! Unleash the power!"

When Tyler led the others into the gorge, they noticed what was going on right away. Shelby was stabbing at Arcanon again and again with her Tricera Drill and dodging away every time he retaliated. But the alien-monster's attention was mostly focused on someone else who was fighting next to the Pink Ranger. The other girl darted in to strike and as she did, Arcanon thrust her away, smashing her against the side of the ravine. As she tried to attack again, Arcanon procured about five daggers in his hand and threw them at her. She managed to avoid about half of them, but one of the others cut into her left knee and the last one plunged into the right side of her chest.

"Kendall, stop!" Tyler yelled. Followed by Ivan, Zenowing, Chase, James, and Koda, he joined the fight with Shelby. Prince Phillip and Riley demorphed and moved to restrain Kendall as she ran towards their opponent again.

"Let me go!" she wailed, trying to struggle away from the Green and Graphite Rangers. Her energy began to divert from her and she gasped for breath as her feet slipped in the dirt. "I have to destroy him!"

"Chase told you that you can't do this!" Prince Phillip protested. "Stay back, you're killing yourself!"

"I... I don't care..." Kendall fell back against him and he laid her gently on the ground. Riley quickly yanked the knives out of her and threw them away. She was breathing heavily as blood spurted out of her chest. and ran down her body, merging with the stream from her leg.

"Kendall, we'll make sure you'll be okay," Riley said, pressing his hands against her wounds.

"Don't... please... let me fight..."

"You can't fight, you're in enough fatal danger as it is. Just let Tyler and the others handle it."

"No... I can't..." Kendall attempted to sit up, but a wave of unconsciousness crashed over her and she fell back down again.

"We have to save her!" Prince Phillip gasped, gently rubbing his hand against her neck. "Her pulse is fading slightly. We might be out of time."

"We can't be!" Riley replied alarmingly.

They both looked up at a scream from Arcanon as the 7 battling Rangers struck him with powered-up weapons all at the same time, ultimately destroying him, before turning back to the injured Purple Ranger and the friends trying to keep her alive.

"I told you not to try fighting him!" Chase was attempting to use a reproachful voice, but the fact that he knew Kendall couldn't hear him, combined with the reality that Kendall was dying, made him soften up to the point where he was aiming not to cry. _She's not dead yet, but that could change very soon._

"Kendall, I'm so sorry that you're going through this." As Chase gathered his girlfriend into his arms, he couldn't hold out anymore and tears began pouring down his face. Shelby was leaning into Tyler and crying as well and the other Rangers stood in a group next to them, quietly striving to figure out a plan to ameliorate the situation bearing down on top of them like a hungry pack of wolves.


	26. Chapter 26- New Secrets

Death.

Dying.

Kendall Morgan was dying.

 _I can't believe this is happening._

Chase clung to the Purple Ranger's body like she and him were the last people on Earth. Her shirt was ripped in many places and it was plainly seen that the nasty infected wound on her stomach had split open again, causing more blood to spill out of her onto the dirt.

"Chase, wait!" Riley turned back to him and Kendall. "Doesn't Heckyl have healing powers that he can use to help her stay alive?"

"Yes, but he's back at my house, which, as you know from an earlier experience, is a long way away."

"That's the best idea we have, though, and he's the only one who can save her without making her suffer."

The Black Ranger sighed. "But she's lost too much blood already." His own hands were covered in the salty liquid. "There- there's no hope left for her."

"There _is_ still hope for her. I think you're the one who has lost it because you're scared it will happen to someone else on the team." Riley's eyes flitted over to Shelby and Tyler.

Chase nodded. "That is why. But I've never seen her like this before. She's always been so strong and confident and an ambitious member on the team. Watching her lay bleeding and dying right in front of me... it's just too much."

Tyler staggered over to them with Shelby gripping him like static cling. "I say we go with Riley's idea. If she dies on the way there, we can just..."

"Tyler, stop putting that idea in his head," James snapped at his son. "You're not helping. Just pay attention to the fact that your girlfriend is basically frozen to you because she's scared." He knelt down beside Chase and stretched an arm out to lay it across the wounded girl's limp figure.

Shockingly, as if she had been awakened by his touch, Kendall struggled to push herself up in Chase's arms, sniffing back tears as pain overwhelmed her once again. She clung on to the one holding her for dear life, clenching her teeth together.

"I'm... so sorry..." she murmured. "I know... I shouldn't have...fought A- Arcanon." Chase worriedly placed her in front of him as she continued, panting heavily. "L- let me go... c- can't breathe... but... I can't leave you..."

"Kendall, I know you'll be okay," Tyler encouraged. Shelby shot him a slight glare, but it soon gave way to a frightened stare.

"No, I won't..." she whispered, trying and mostly failing to raise her voice. "Can everyone please listen to me?" Chase motioned the other Rangers toward her.

"Listen, guys, I don't think I'm going to make it from here. If someone manages to save me, it may be a while before I will wake up from it again, but I highly doubt that it will happen. My time is short. I will take great comfort in knowing that my pain will be over soon, since I may suffer a lot until I leave."

"No!" Everyone looked up as another blurred form came flying into the ravine, landing perfectly beside Chase, Kendall, and James.

"Heckyl, thank God you're here," Shelby breathed. "Can you... can you help her?"

"I can try," he replied, positioning himself beside her weakened body. "But there's no guarantee that she'll be restored to full strength again afterward. In fact, it's definitely not going to happen based on her current condition. But she won't be dying tonight."

Shelby exhaled in relief. Chase moved back to give the two some space. Despite the fact that he was still a little on edge for what Heckyl had done to her beforehand, he trusted that he knew what he was doing.

The rest of them turned away, trying not to look and risk killing her. A blinding blue light surrounded both Heckyl and Kendall and the only sound that could be heard were the fresh sobs from Shelby. A cloud of uncertainty settled over them as the two were obscured and Chase fought the urge to look back.

"Heckyl... be careful with her..." Shelby cried gently. "After what you did before..."

"Shelby, I don't think he can hear you." Tyler lifted her into his arms and she buried her face in his neck.

Fear was still racing through everyone as they regrouped. Shelby was seemingly the most scared and Tyler and his dad were trying to comfort her. Zenowing leaned against the wall of the ravine, unwilling to join the others. Riley, Koda, Ivan, and Prince Phillip were standing with solemn expressions as they circled around Chase.

"Heckyl made a mistake before, but he's going to rescue her," Riley promised. "I can feel it."

How right the Green Ranger was. In the space of about an hour, while the Rangers waited, shivering as cold weather descended upon the city, the light around Heckyl and Kendall began to fade. Chase cautiously stepped out of the circle toward them, his panic growing. Had he managed to save her before time ran out?

Heckyl began to stand up as the light continued to fade, carrying Kendall back toward the Black Ranger. As he laid her body in his arms, the light around him disappeared, though Kendall was still glowing slightly. When the brightness cleared entirely, Chase's heart leaped. She was okay!

"Oh... Kendall..." he sighed in contentment, adjusting his grip on her. "You're... you're okay!"

Kendall was struggling to open her eyes, but other than that, she didn't move. Unlike when Heckyl had saved Shelby, because of so many previous injuries, her energy and strength were gone and it would probably be a while before it would return completely.

"Chase..." she whispered. "I- I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. We destroyed Arcanon, Heckyl saved you, and there's nothing else we have to worry about."

"No... please just bring me back to your house." Her eyes shot open and worry flashed through her gaze. "There's something I need to show you."

Each of the Rangers, along with Heckyl, exited the ravine until only Shelby and Tyler remained, the two of them staying frozen in the gorge until night finally fell upon them.

But they didn't go back to Chase's house. Instead, Shelby began running through the city, with her boyfriend in pursuit. He knew that whatever Kendall had to show Chase, it concerned her and something that no one could ever have guessed that had happened before.


	27. Chapter 27- Hold Me Down Forever

When the 8 Rangers finally got back to Chase's house, Chase helped Kendall limp towards the room she'd been in. The second she got in there, she headed straight for her bed, gently reaching under her pillow. Everyone was careful to keep their distance so they would not unnerve her. When she finally retracted it, a small piece of pink paper was clutched in her hand and she passed it off to James, who, besides the Black Ranger, was the closest to her. The rest of the group crowded around him as he read it.

 _"Kendall, there is not much time to explain, but I must leave. Someone from my past has returned and seeks to destroy me. I cannot put you and the other Rangers' lives in jeopardy, so this will be the last time I communicate with you. Do not try to follow me. Goodbye, Rangers. Sincerely, Shelby."_

"Shelby gave me this before we all went off to battle Arcanon the last time," she whispered. "I didn't know what to do about it, so I just put it under my pillow and left it there, thinking that she didn't really mean it. But when she just ran away like that..." Kendall took in a shaky breath and Chase placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her.

"Do you know who this villain may be?" he asked.

The Purple Ranger shook her head. "It might be Sledge, but if that were so, she'd rally all of the rest of us to fight him. Anyway, he couldn't have survived what we did to him. It must be something personal. Maybe it's an old grudge with someone so vile that she'd call them a villain."

"Well, wherever she went, Tyler followed her," James added. He glanced outside. "It's getting dark. Let's call Tyler on his Dino- Com and find out where they are."

 **((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((**

Tyler was getting tired of running. He never could have suspected that Shelby had so much stamina and was attempting to think of a good idea to slow her down. Then something hit him. His girlfriend didn't know that he was following her.

"Shelby!" he called.

The Pink Ranger yelped as she tried to spin around while running. Unfortunately, she was not great at multitasking and ended up tripping over a heightened plateau in the sidewalk. She cried out in pain as she fell and her right ankle twisted beneath her.

"Tyler?" She glanced up at him in shock. "Wh- why were you following me?"

"I couldn't just let you wander off into the night by yourself," he replied. "And it certainly looks like you need help now."

Shelby's eyes widened. "T- Tyler..." she stammered. "G- get behind me."

Tyler blinked. "What's going on?" He moved to her other side, but kept his eyes on her.

Suddenly, Shelby disappeared. Tyler gasped as he looked up to a scream from her. Someone encased in black was tearing away from him, carrying a crying and shrieking Pink Ranger. Tears were rolling down her face and her wails gradually faded away as the person ran with an astonishing speed.

"NO!" He rushed in that direction, but soon realized that they were going way too fast.

"Oh God..." Tyler pressed a hand to his forehead. "No... this can't be happening... I- I have to tell the others.

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"She WHAT?!" Kendall gasped, stumbling and falling against Chase, breathing heavily.

"I don't know what's happening to her, other than the fact that somebody took her."

"Uh oh." The Purple Ranger gulped as she showed him the note that Shelby had sent her. "I think... this might be it."

Tyler studied the letter for a moment until his Dino- Com vibrated. He lifted it up for the rest of the Rangers to see and their eyes all widened as Shelby's terrified face slid into view.

"Please!" she screeched. "Please help me! I warned you, Kendall, but now I realize I can't fight this guy alone. He's not going to torture me like Heckyl did to you; he's trying to kill me instantly. Check the museum." The scene changed and the sound on it dissolved into static.

"Shelby!" Kendall sobbed, falling to her knees.

"Where is she?" Tyler wondered.

Riley rolled his eyes. "She said to check the museum, bone-brain."

"Then let's go!"

However, when they traveled to the museum and searched it, they came up empty-handed. Kendall was panicking and Chase was trying and failing to calm her.

"Wait!" James pointed out. "What about the roof? Could she be up there?"

"It's not likely, but..." Riley considered it. "You're right. Let's go. Shelby may not have much time left."

 **(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((**

"Please stop!" Shelby screeched as the ninja-like person in front of her attempted to stab her with the sword again and she barely managed to roll out of the way. "Henry, we broke up! You betrayed _me_! Now get away!" _What is with the stab deja-vu?_

"I don't care." The man's voice was cold and icy. "That Tyler you've fallen in love with has stolen you away from me. You had to stay with me and since you have not followed my rules, I must kill you."

"No way!" Henry smiled as his ex-girlfriend stepped dangerously close to the end of the roof. Her body was shivering uncontrollably. He advanced closer, his flashing blue eyes trained right on her.

"My friends will come," she proclaimed. "They will avenge me. And if they come soon, they won't let you kill me."

"It's too late." A growl echoed from deep in his throat. "End of the line for you." Shelby stepped back, except there was only thin air behind her. Her foot slipped and she barely managed to stop herself from falling.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on her," a menacing voice snapped from behind her attacker. Henry turned to see the other nine Rangers standing together, with Kendall at the lead, her Dino Blaster pointing right at him.

"Please. You think all nine of you are a match for me?"

"You don't know your own weaknesses," Kendall spat. "Who are you anyway?"

Shelby spoke up from the ground. "Like you, I had an ex-boyfriend that attacked me, but when I escaped, he's been hunting me down for many years."

Kendall fired her blaster twice. However, Henry knew these types of attacks. He deflected the blasts with his sword, but instead of randomly throwing them away, the sword held them for a moment, before sending them right back at her. The Purple Ranger gasped as she staggered, the Dino Blaster still in her grip, and Chase's eyes widened as caught her.

"Don't fire again," he said quietly. It must have been a little too quiet because Kendall obviously didn't hear. She pushed him away from her and fired four more times. He did the same thing and one of the redirected blasts hit her hard in the chest. She hissed as she fell, not willing to give Henry the satisfaction of hearing her cry out. Fortunately, he was unprepared for the next attack, which sent him reeling with a combined shot from the blasters of Prince Phillip and Ivan.

"Shelby is mine!" he roared. "And I will be back for her soon; you can count on that!" With surprising agility, he pulled a grappling hook from his belt and within a few minutes, he'd disappeared.

Breathing heavily, Kendall got to her feet and slowly made her way over to Shelby, who was crouched at the edge of the roof, and gently moved her away so she wouldn't fall. She sniffed and leaned in closer to the scientist.

"I- I told you he was back." Shelby was holding back, but Kendall let her take her time, motioning Chase to make the others stay away.

"I know and I should have done something right away," she answered nervously. She was anxious about the fact that Shelby may blame her for letting it all happen.

"Don't worry, Kendall, I'll be able to handle him next time. Henry won't hurt me again," the Pink Ranger hurriedly murmured.

Kendall shook her head. "This Henry seems to think that he's got the element of surprise going for him, so you need to be more careful."

"How am I supposed to do that? Our team has been weakened so much with all the battles and injuries that we might not be able to have a good defense against him."

"Shelby..." The other girl inhaled a weak breath as she spoke. "I promise I will do my best to protect you. You were chosen to survive and so was I. It is almost certain that we will not fail."


	28. Chapter 28- Memories

Kendall had been wise to reassure Shelby in the way that she did, but after she woke up again and began to go through the next day, she was starting to scare herself into thinking that what she'd said to the Pink Ranger before may be the opposite of what could really happen. She was afraid. She had always been afraid. A week passed by and she only continued to grow more paranoid about what Henry would do to any of them when he returned.

"Why am I even doing this?" Kendall muttered to herself as she went upstairs and fell back on the bed again, the one she and Chase had began to share. An overwhelming amount of emotions rushed through her.

She hadn't always been the way she was, especially since she had been constantly taunted and bullied from elementary school until college. Though her parents had paid for her early admission to her college, they hadn't cared before about anything that happened to her before then. They didn't appear to notice when she came home with bruises and cuts all over her body or when she was attacked by a gang when she was 17. Before Chase and her other friends, no one had ever cared about her the way they did.

 _Everyone hated me until I met the other Rangers. I became fierce because I was tormented when I was younger, but why is it only them that seem to respect me?_

The memories came fast and hard, images flying through her head of the many people that had harmed her in her life, the blood in her veins turning to ice as the pictures and names of Prince Phillip, Riley, and Koda popped into her head. She knew that they had not meant to betray her, but couldn't help wondering why Snide or Heckyl hadn't tried to control them again. _So many thoughts! What is going on?_ A blazing headache beginning to hit her, she got up from the bed and closed the door. She just wanted to be alone. The window was open too, so she went over to it, taking in a deep breath of fresh air before closing it, ready to go down to Chase and end the thoughts inside her for good.

And the glass was smashed open. Pain split her body and blood filled her eyes, turning her environment red. She screamed Chase's name and the last sound she heard before blacking out was a maniacal laugh that echoed throughout the entire house, mingling with her outcry as the world around her faded into agony.

 **(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((**

"Kendall?" Chase yelped as he heard an earsplitting shriek from the room that he and his girlfriend shared, accompanied by a loud cackle that smothered it completely until it stopped. Shelby and Riley, who were sitting right beside him, also became alert, speedily following him as he raced upstairs.

"What... is... going... on?" Shelby puffed restlessly.

A gasp broke from Chase as he opened the door to his room.

"See anything?" Riley asked.

The Black Ranger said nothing, but instead rushed into the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Shelby put out her hand to block it from smashing her nose. "Chase, are you okay?"

"Guys... he's back."

Shelby pushed the door open and the heavy scent of blood immediately flooded through the air. Chase was kneeling on the ground, obstructing whoever the others were trying to see. She moved to the side and her eyes widened, her hands moving to her mouth, instantly knowing whom he was referring to. Kendall was sprawled beside him, bleeding massively from her chest and head.

"Oh God..." Shelby breathed as she backed away. "This is my fault... Henry was taking revenge on her because she stopped him from attacking me." She began to sob quietly. "After all she's been through..."

"Shelby, wait!" Riley called.

"I can't! You remember how many people have literally been trying to kill her lately and how many times she's nearly died?" she replied stiffly, trying not to shout. "Because of me, she'll be lost forever!" Her eyes narrowed. "That's it. He's terrorized me for too long. I'm going to face him on my own and destroy him. The only difference between this and Kendall's battle with Arcanon is that I won't be the one hurt."

"No!" Riley attempted to grab her arm, but she slipped away from him and ran out the door. He turned back to Chase as Kendall's eyes opened, staring straight at the one leaning over her. "Chase... help me..." she whispered. "I- is Shelby here?"

"Chase, she went to destroy Henry," Riley spoke up.

"What?" Kendall pushed Chase away and sat up, clenching her teeth in pain. "He attacked me... I can't believe it... he's ruthless..."

"Riley, go after her. I'll take care of Kendall."

"Ugh..." Kendall groaned as Chase forced her to lay down again. He quickly texted Tyler and James to pick up a few things from the store and meet him back there, then looked back at his girlfriend, pressing his hands against her wounds. They didn't look fatal anymore now that the bleeding was slowing down, but he could tell she wasn't believing that herself.

"Kendall," he murmured. "What happened when he attacked you? Did he say anything?"

She blinked thoughtfully. "No. I just went to close the window and..." She shuddered. "...I knew it was him when... when pain and blood flooded over me. So far, he's the only one who wants to kill me right now. And this is what I get for trying to do the right thing."

Chase pulled Kendall closer to him, cradling her gently. "It's not your fault. You're the most innocent soul I know and I don't understand why everyone hates you."

"Me neither. This has been going on since I was super young. Even my own parents neglected me."

"Really?"

"Yes. Until I met you and the other Rangers, everyone has always hated me. The museum committee took pity on me and it was the only job I could get, so I stayed. But I've lived with shame all these years knowing that no one will ever care."

He sniffed. "That's so sad. But don't worry now. _I_ care for you and so do the others."

She laughed slightly. "I'm wondering how long it will take you to believe that." Kendall pressed her lips to his.


	29. Chapter 29- Poisoned Heart

Chase couldn't shake his girlfriend's confession out of his mind. It tore him apart to know that Kendall had been so abused in her childhood and that it was continuing on through now. It stalked him in his dreams and turned them into nightmares once again. But what scared him the most was that he'd nearly killed her that night. Her wounds had been healed and she'd slept with him like usual. However, in his panic about the new tribulations, he'd almost choked her to death, and if it had not been for Shelby, who'd decided to sleep over for a few nights and happened to wake up at that very moment, Chase was sure the worst would have come. Fortunately, Riley had managed to convince her not to fight Henry yet. He had put the two girls in another room for the rest of the time and when he woke up again, he'd gone straight back to them.

"Did you guys sleep well?" he asked, poking his head in. Then he blinked in surprise as he watched them. Kendall was curled up against Shelby in the bed, the two of them speaking softly to each other, and as Shelby spotted Chase, Kendall turned as well. Her face was red, as if she'd been crying again, and she was trembling violently. "Are you okay?"

Shelby shook her head. "She doesn't want me to fight. She thinks I'm going to die."

"That's why we need to go with you!" Chase went over to them and pulled Kendall over to him as he sat on the bed.

"No!" the Pink Ranger snapped. "This is my problem and mine alone."

"That is not true!" The three of them turned to see Tyler and James at the door. "It's a problem for all of us. You need to let the rest of us help."

"No!"

Tyler and his father walked over to Shelby's side, glaring at her fiercely. "We're. Coming. With. You!" the Red Ranger snarled. Shelby sighed, putting her head in her hands as the pair switched sides. Kendall shrank closer to Chase, shivering, but managed to make her voice strong. "He's right. We have to go." She moved off the bed. "We can call the others on the way."

"Fine." Chase led Shelby, Tyler, James, and Kendall out of the room, using his Dino- Com to summon Prince Phillip, Ivan, Zenowing, Riley, and Koda and telling them to meet at the city plaza. They obeyed his order, getting there about 5 minutes before he did.

"Alright..." Ivan panted as he went over to the Black Ranger. "What are we doing? When you told us about this Henry, you said that he might attack at any moment. Should we just... wait?"

"Yes," he replied. "In fact, I think everyone should morph just in case. This guy is dangerous."

"Unleash the power!" The cry followed with each of the Rangers as all of them were encased by their suit and armor.

"Now keep on the lookout for any sudden movements." Chase instinctively maneuvered toward Shelby, who, under her helmet, was looking a bit irritated and backed away hotly. "He's naturally going to go for-"

"LOOK OUT!" An outcry rose from Prince Phillip, merging with a scream from Kendall as a shadow flew through the middle of the group. They turned toward the spot where it had come from and spotted the Purple Ranger grappling with a figure dressed in black completely. Kendall's Plesio-Sword was keeping the rival dagger at bay, but whoever it was was pushing hard on it and trying to stab her to disable her morph.

"Get away from her!" Shelby and Tyler cried simultaneously. They lifted their T- Rex Smasher and Tricera Drill and charged. The unknown individual looked up and pulled out two other weapons and threw them. The two Rangers made the duck-and-roll move and rushed to attack again, but the person put their hand out and some kind of force-field thrust Tyler backward. Shelby was temporarily stunned and Kendall's attacker scrambled off of her, launching himself at her. She gasped as he bowled her over and she pushed her Tricera Drill up to defend herself. He pulled a strange device out of his pocket and flipped a switch on it. Immediately, four metal objects shot out of it and placed themselves in a large square on the ground. A blue light radiated from them and created its own force-field around him, Shelby, and Kendall. Zenowing, Riley, and Koda ran up to it and tried to strike with their weapons, but they bounced harmlessly off of it. The person threw off his hood, revealing the intimidating face of Henry. He stood over Shelby and brandished another long knife, which was glowing with a pale green brightness. A lightning bolt shot from it and flashed against her chest, making Shelby's morph disappear and she writhed in pain as it snaked along her body. Kendall picked up her sword, gripping it tightly in her covered hands as she stood up, and swung it at Henry. However, he astonishingly let go of his dagger with his left hand and caught the blade with it as it came toward him. A purple light darted along the blade and flew up her body, vanishing into her helmet. A moment later, she shrieked, her hands slipping from the sword hilt as her morph dissipated as well, and she fell harshly beside him.

Henry looked down in triumph at the helpless Shelby, then at Kendall, who had just become unconscious, her teeth still clenched together. He released the force-field around them and flared up at the other Rangers.

"You really thought you could destroy me, even with your pathetic morphing powers?" he taunted, a sneer growing on his face. "Shelby is going to pay for deserting me and as for your other friend, I sent poison running through her and soon, she will perish. _Never_ underestimate me."

"And you can never underestimate us!" Henry hadn't realized that Ivan, Tyler and Prince Phillip had disappeared from the group when he saw them. Too late he saw the attack as the three of them blasted him in the back with two Dino Blasters. He collapsed beside Shelby, the glare on his face hardening like stone.

Tyler mimicked his glare. "I'm pretty sure he'll think twice about hurting anyone now. Although, he might not be able to because I'm pretty sure that killed him."

"Really?" Shelby murmured.

The Red Ranger stepped closer to them, releasing his morph as Shelby cautiously laid a hand on Henry's body and let out a sigh of relief. "He's gone."

 _Yes!_ Chase thought, but the moment of relief didn't last long. He remembered that Henry had mentioned poisoning her and was slightly panicking. He went over to help Shelby up, then turned towards Kendall, the dismay inside him growing fast. "K- Kendall? Are you okay?"

She didn't respond.

"Kendall, wake up." He slowly picked her up, the gentle rise and fall of her chest the only thing still telling him she was alive. A slight purple glow was flashing through her wrist and quickly moved up to her neck, circling around it maliciously.

"What is wrong with her?" Koda questioned as he, James, Zenowing, and Riley paced over to them, glancing alarmingly at the violet light.

"He was right," Chase whispered. "She's been poisoned. Henry's last act on Earth. It's too late; she's really going to die this time."


	30. Chapter 30- Wings Of Darkness

"We're not just giving up, are we, right?" Shelby broke in tearfully. "We've managed to save her from so much; this _can't_ be happening!"

"We're **_not_** giving up," Tyler snapped.

"But how can we-?" Chase broke off as Kendall's eyes suddenly opened, blinking slowly at him. "Wh- what's going on?"

"Kendall, you are going be okay," Koda said, clearly under the impression that the Purple Ranger knew she had been poisoned. "We help you."

"Help me with what?" Chase set her down on her feet and she staggered, looking confused. "What happened? Is Henry gone? What did he do to me?"

"Yes, he's gone," Ivan sighed. "But... well, Chase, maybe you should tell her." Kendall turned toward him expectantly. "Why are you guys acting so weird?"

"Kendall, you've been poisoned," Chase blurted out.

"What?"

"Before we killed Henry, he mentioned the fact that he'd wanted to destroy Shelby and had set poison through you. When you lost your morph, that might have been when it happened."

"So I..." Kendall cut herself off quickly and Tyler stared questioningly at her. "Are you alright?" Her body was shaking and her expression was changing into one of horror. All of a sudden, something flew into the center of the group and everyone's eyes widened as they saw too late that it was a grenade, which exploded rapidly, sending the Rangers flying. Kendall had been right in its path and screamed as agony coursed through her body. Prince Phillip recovered first and dashed over to her. The injured girl was struggling to breathe again and to relief herself from the scare as the Graphite Ranger helped her up. She thrust her hand against her neck, wincing in pain as it touched the purple flash.

"Let's go before we encounter any more of Henry's traps that he laid before he left," Riley breathed. "And Kendall... we need to get help for you."

She sniffed. "I don't think that's possible. Being at the hospital is torture for me!"

"But it might be the only-"

"NO!"

"Kendall Morgan, this is the only way to save you and you know it!"

"I'LL BE FINE!" Kendall turned on her heels and tried to run, but she didn't get far, accidentally tripping over the curb and sprawling to the pavement. Face red with shame, she got up again and shot away, swiftly disappearing around the corner.

"Kendall!" Shelby wailed. "How are we going to find her now? Knowing her, she'll take extra precautions to hide herself. But wait..." Her face changed. "Why did she run off? That is more unlike her than I've ever seen before." She grimaced as her twisted ankle buckled beneath her; she was surprised that she'd made it so long without noticing it.

"That Henry must have been able to get his dirty hands on the most dangerous type of toxin," James grumbled. "The poison is messing with her mind. If she stays away from help too long, she's probably going to die."

Tyler glared at his father. "Dad, please zip it. I appreciate the clarification, but you're not helping."

"Sorry."

"What's important now is finding her before she can get hurt again."

 **((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((**

Kendall whimpered as she darted through the night, rain pouring from the sky and making her splash through puddles. Ever since Chase had mentioned the poison inside her, she could feel the pain of it searing her throat and slowly spreading through the rest of her body.

"I don't know how much longer I can go on," she wheezed, beginning to limp as she took a shortcut to the edge of town by the beach. She watched the waves crash harshly against the shore as her tired legs carried her down to the edge of the water and took her into the shallows. But she didn't stop there. In the dark, she couldn't see much, but her body seemed to have a mind of its own. The salty ocean water kept threatening to sweep her away, but she didn't care. Kendall knew what she was doing, knew the dangers of death, yet she continued into the tide.

The seafloor gradually vanished from beneath her feet, so she began to swim. A large mound of water swarmed over her, causing her to sputter and cough as the acrid liquid filled her mouth and made her eyes burn. She wanted to scream, but forced herself not to. Now, her mind didn't care if she died. Another wave spilled over her and this time, she didn't struggle as she slipped beneath the surface. Her eyes closed and a dark abyss yawned beneath her as darkness swallowed her up and the world fell away from her.

 **))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

A night finally came when Chase was able to sleep, the comforting warmth of Shelby and Tyler being all that was keeping his nightmares from getting too scary and waking him. When he finally woke again, he was immediately alert. Tyler woke at around the same time, got out of the bed, and grabbed the remote to switch on the TV for the news. Shelby rolled her eyes and started to follow the Black Ranger out the bedroom door.

"Wait!" Tyler called. "Come back, you need to see this!"

The urgent tone in his voice summoned them in an instant, but all to be seen on the TV was a moving picture of the raging ocean.

"What's so important?" Shelby tilted her head to the side.

And then a female Chinese reporter with long black hair came into view and began to speak.

 _"The ocean is a very dangerous place, especially in a storm. A stormy sea is especially hazardous at night, when almost nothing can be seen. A girl was found last night on the beach, drowning in the water, and with signs of being there since last night."_ The camera turned farther down the beach, where two paramedics were kneeling in the sand over an unmoving female with wet clothes pressing against her body, pushing on her chest as she remained passive. But to Tyler, Shelby, and Chase, she didn't look like "just a girl." To them, she looked a bit familiar, with long, wet brown hair splayed out against the grainy ground and the gentle face that all the Rangers had known since they had first met her...

 _"This female has also been checked for anything infecting her and it has been found that there is a fatal type of poison traveling through her system. If you know her, you must be warned to not get your hopes up. She has apparently suffered previous injuries and there may possibly be no way of saving her-"_

Tyler switched off the television, breathing hard. "We need to go."

"Let's get to the beach," Shelby murmured. "I have an even worse feeling than before that she's going to be in more danger than ever if we don't hurry to help. Kendall _**never** _ should have left."


	31. Chapter 31- Weak

Shelby, Tyler, and Chase had never run so fast. Their trip to the beach was long and hard, but they pushed on. When they finally got there, the camera crew was still there. Chase's eyes scanned the beach, looking for any sign of the paramedics, which he unfortunately didn't find. Instead, the camera went down and the reporter began walking off the beach.

"Wait!" Shelby called, intercepting her as her feet reached the edge of the sand. "Where is she?"

The reporter blinked. "Who?"

"You know who! The 'girl' you found earlier. Where did they take her?"

"Back to the hospital. There is a special emergency wing there that they just added. She is likely to be taken there if they find her. However-"

Shelby turned to the other two. "We have to go. If she's not there, we're in trouble."

"Wait!" she called. "She isn't there though. After the paramedics managed to resuscitate her, she woke up and ran off before anyone could stop her."

"Can you help us find her?"

"Of course. My name is Mei. What is the name of who you're looking for?"

"Her name is Kendall. I'm Shelby and this is Chase and Tyler."

"Don't worry. I will assist you with finding her every chance I get. I really hope you do."

"Let's call the others," she whispered to her friends.

 **((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((**

"Ow," Kendall groaned as she stumbled and collapsed on the hard ground. She had arrived at her destination, which was the alley in which she'd been attacked the first time by the corrupted Prince Phillip, Riley, and Koda. It still brought back horrible memories for her, especially since they had murdered her right there and then. But even though she'd been brought back, she often wished now that it hadn't been so. The grief and suffering it had brought her since then was terrible for her. The only good thing that had come out of it all was that her and Chase's relationship with each other had grown stronger each day. That was the only reason she felt worthless at that moment. It was the only reason she felt guilty about leaving the Rangers alone, not to mention that she was already dying under her own power and from the fatal poison.

"Why?" she wondered. "Why does it feel like this is a conspiracy to destroy me?" _If so, who would be involved in it? Arcanon must have been and Heckyl as well when he was evil. Henry must have joined as well to finish Shelby off first. But who else would want to... to kill me?_

She angrily kicked out her right leg and accidentally hit the wall, sending pain radiating through her body. Mentally cursing, she limped closer into the darkness. Even in the daytime, no sunlight ever reached that alley. The lack of light was scaring her since she had just barely been saved from drowning in dark ocean water. She shivered, falling to her knees and slowly dragging her injured ankle behind her as she kept moving.

Suddenly, Kendall found herself become unable to breathe. She crumpled in the dust, gasping painfully as she pressed her hands against her chest.

"No!" she groaned, her struggles quickly growing more frantic. "This can't be happening!"

Then, as soon as the spasms had come, they disappeared, leaving the confused Purple Ranger laying stunned in the dirt. A hiss came from the garbage cans and boxes up ahead and she stiffened. Had the stray cats noticed her? She remembered encounters with them before and realized that they were fierce and didn't care about killing anyone and anything that came near them.

And then the attack came. As she edged closer, a huge mass of dark fur flew toward her, claws flashing out and ripping at her neck. Kendall yelped as the cat hissed again and continued its vicious assault. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she tried to throw the feline off. Unfortunately, just as the savage animal was pushed back, releasing its hold on her, many more leaped forward in its place. Jade and amber eyes glared at her from all sides as agony tore her apart. Screams echoed from her throat as she fell, crushed under the weight of numerous cats. She could feel hot blood streaming from her body and as she hit the wall again, more felines joined the already ambushing ones. Tears were spilling from Kendall's eyes as she kept trying to fight them off. Two cats slammed against the other wall and lay lifeless on the ground. _That's going to be me soon,_ she thought fearfully. _I have to fight harder!_ As hard as she could, she reared up and flung most of them off, her own head smashing into the wall behind her. The three remaining stared angrily at her, all mangy females, one with blue eyes, one with dark green, and one with bright yellow. The yellow-eyed one bared its teeth and claws and sliced a sharp claw through her head, motioning to the others to get away, which they did after doing the same thing. A simultaneous hiss broke from them before they bounded off. Kendall sank back against the ground, breathing heavily as scarlet washed over her eyes.

"Just my luck that I happened to wander across a bunch of savages," she muttered. The attack felines had torn a monstrous gash in her stomach, which made her grimace as she braced her hands against it. "Oh God... this hurts so badly..."

"What the heck just happened?" a voice called from a little while off. Despite the blinding haze of pain, she knew exactly who it was. _How did Riley know where to find me?_

She felt his footsteps draw closer and swallowed. Once the Green Ranger saw what had happened, he'd make sure she never ran away again. Kendall shut her eyes gently.

"Kendall?!" Riley breathed, kneeling beside her. "What are you doing here? And what happened to you?" He placed his hand against her wound and she instinctively struck him in the shoulder. He reeled back, blinking in surprise. "What was that for?"

"You were hurting me!" she snapped furiously. "I forgot about the strays here and they're vicious! That attack..." She stopped in mid-sentence, temporarily unsure of what to say next.

"Kendall, it doesn't matter. From what I heard, you ran away deliberately and are already dying. You have to come back. I will take you."

"No!" Kendall shook her head. "I'm not going back! Leave me to her die."

"There is absolutely no chance of me agreeing to do that. Chase wouldn't want that to happen. Remember how much he cares about you." He wrapped one arm around her waist and the other around her legs and managed to lift her up off the ground. "Wow, you're really light."

She didn't reply and soon, Riley realized that she'd fallen unconscious. He used his Dino-Com to reach Chase and let him know what had happened.


	32. Chapter 32- Trust In Me

Chase saw Riley up ahead, with a motionless Kendall lying in his arms. His eyes widened as he noticed she was bleeding. A nasty wound seemed to have been cut through her midsection and part of her throat had been ripped away, letting the red liquid spill down her body.

"Kendall!" he cried, rushing over to the Green Ranger. "Riley... where was she?"

"In the alley where she was killed before. She didn't notice the stray cats there and they attacked her. That's basically what she told me."

The Black Ranger took in a deep breath. It was too much. It hurt too much to see her go through this. So many things had happened lately, but they weren't good, always ending with Kendall getting hurt. He gently placed a hand on her neck and she instantly woke up, pain rushing through her like never before.

"Get away from me!" she cried.

"No way in hell is that happening."

"But-"

"Kendall, do you seriously _want_ to kill yourself?" Chase murmured as he took her from his friend.

"At this point, I do."

"Why? You- you've always been so strong..."

"Which is why I can't stand to be like this. I- I just wish everything was like how it was before. I love being a Power Ranger, but I can't help wondering where I would be now if I hadn't become one."

"You'd be watching someone like Shelby or me go through this."

"Good point; I'd rather take the pain for my friends." She shook her head slowly and interrupted him as he tried to speak again. "Chase, stop. You know you can't save me."

"I can though!"

"No you can't. Not this time. Later, I can come back once more and show you what you can do though."

"Wait, what?"

"Heckyl can-"

"He can't do anything for you if you die." He lay her on the ground as he turned to Riley. "Find Heckyl. You know what he can do and Kendall's life depends entirely on him now."

"Got it." Riley dashed off, morphing in the process, and Chase immediately returned to his girlfriend's side. She stared up at him, a touch of desperation in her gaze.

Then a blue light flashed through the air, entwining itself around Kendall's body, and Chase instantly knew it was Heckyl's work when he saw her torn skin began to knit over her new wounds. He looked up, seeing him right next to her, his hands reaching toward them and the blue light still streaming out of them. At last, everything seemed to be okay, except for the bloodstains still laying on the ground. Kendall had closed her eyes, looking deathly pale now, and Heckyl slowly edged toward her.

"Is she okay?" he asked quietly.

"Now she is, thanks to you."

"I have a feeling that she's not thinking straight right now."

"No kidding, do you think?"

Kendall began to blink at them slowly. "I can hear you, you know."

"Sorry, Kendall," Chase apologized.

"No need to say sorry, but can you please help me up?"

"Okay, now I do need to say sorry." The Black Ranger stretched out his hand to help Kendall up and she took it.

"How?" she whispered when she stood beside him. "How am I not dead yet?"

"But you did... and you were resurrected."

"No, this is different," she snapped. "I was losing so much blood earlier and any normal person or even a Ranger would usually die from that. Is... is something wrong with me?"

Chase didn't want to say it, but he had been thinking since she had been resurrected and attacked once more that there might indeed be something wrong with her. It certainly had caused her much pain, but now, he realized that wasn't possible. If the Dino Blasters had done anything other than bring her back to life when they were used on her, it would have most likely left her weak and exhausted. She was only overcome with fatigue so much lately because of her first injuries.

"No, I think everything's fine with you. You've just had a big scare. God, do I need to carry you again?"

"Maybe." She carefully took a step forward

"Kendall..."

"Fine, yes, I really need it. I'm so tired right now."

Chase smiled as he lifted her into his arms and she rested her head on his shoulder. Heckyl took his Dino-Com from his pocket and told the others that Kendall was okay for the most part and that she was coming with them.

"For the most part-" Chase started to say, then realized that he had almost forgotten about the poison coursing through the Purple Ranger's body. He didn't know how much longer she could live with that.

Kendall had clearly seen his expression when that thought passed through his head. "I know," she sighed. "Listen..." She tried to struggle out of his arms, but he didn't let her. "...you shouldn't waste your time on me. Even Heckyl can't fix this."

"Uh, I'm right here," he growled from behind Chase.

"Oh, come on, you know it's true."

"Well, I might not be able to take the poison out of your system _now_ , but if everyone can strengthen me with their Energems, I may be able to do it _then_."

"I'm willing to do that," Riley called as he stepped in front of them, unmorphed. His face looked serious. "I need to borrow Heckyl for a moment first. Ivan nearly fell into a sinkhole and Shelby fell in trying to save him. We managed to get her out before the ground could collapse any more, but both of them seem pretty hurt and Shelby's unconscious. I'd like to see if Heckyl can help."

"A sinkhole in Amber Beach- you know what, never mind." Chase sighed, nudging Heckyl toward Riley. "Go on. I'm right behind you." Riley nodded, then began to lead them back through the city, right to the center plaza. A giant chunk of ground seemed to have scooped out of the street. People were surrounding it in front of them and as they pushed through the crowd, Tyler waved at them from near the edge.

"Heckyl! Chase! Riley! Kendall!" he yelled to them. "Come over here!" Chase placed Kendall down on her feet as they made their way over to him. As the crowd opened out, he could see Prince Phillip, Koda, James, and Ivan beckoning them over as well. As he got closer, he could see that Ivan looked shaken up and a little disheveled. The Gold Ranger was leaning frantically over the comatose figure of Shelby, who was sprawled out on the ground a little ways from the hole. Heckyl knelt down next to her.

"Tell me what happened exactly," he said.

"We didn't realize the ground was collapsing under us until it was too late," Ivan explained. "Everyone managed to get off in time, but I was hanging off the edge and it was all crumbling down. But Shelby ran forward and managed to pull me out before the ground crumbled even more and she fell in. No one saw them, but Koda and Ivan morphed and saved her that way."

Chase winced. "Is she okay?"

"I don't know. She's still breathing, but hasn't woken up for a while."

Kendall sniffed as she sat beside Chase. "Shelby... please wake up."

The Pink Ranger didn't seem to have any obvious wounds, save for the gash stretching through her right arm. Blood dripped slowly from her mouth and Kendall reached out to wipe it away.

"Let's bring her back to her house," Tyler suggested. "Along the way, Chase, you can stop by the beach and tell Mei that you found Kendall."

Kendall tilted her head to the side. "Who's Mei?"

"Mei's the reporter who told the story of you being found in the ocean. We enlisted her help to find you, but now we can tell her you're safe. _Don't_ mention what Henry did to you; we can fix it later."

"A- are you sure?"

"Yeah." Tyler nodded. "I'll take care of Shelby. The two of you should go back."

"Fine." Chase and Kendall stood up and began to exit the place. Kendall cast one last glance at Shelby as Chase led her away and she couldn't stop herself from whispering Shelby's name under her breath as they disappeared into the distance.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Chase murmured as he kept a firm grip on the Purple Ranger's waist, continuing to lead her forward until they reached the beach, which was almost completely deserted.

"I hope you're right."

Chase saw Mei first, darting across the beach to meet the Asian woman and dragging Kendall with him. She raised an eyebrow as he reached her.

"Let me guess, this is the lovely Kendall you spoke of earlier? She seems to be safe."

"Yep. Kendall, this is Mei."

"Thank you so much for trying to help me," Kendall murmured to her. "I know it didn't do much, but if this guy here wants to find me, he'll do it in about three minutes."

"That's cool." She smirked at him. "You must really love her if you can find her that quickly." For a moment, she laughed.

"I do love her," Chase replied evenly. "If you meant that as a joke..."

"Oh..." Her face fell. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine."

But she could clearly see the worry in his eyes that he had been trying to push to the back of his mind for the moment. "Chase, are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You keep stealing glances at Kendall like she's the most fragile piece of glass in the world and people only do that when they're afraid something bad might happen to them. Come on, tell me what's going on."

He looked at Kendall once more and she nodded.

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Yes," Mei responded. "I can."

So, Chase did a quick 360° to make sure no one was listening, then spilled everything to the reporter, beginning with the explanation of how they became Power Rangers, why their friends betrayed them and murdered Kendall, how she was brought back to life, and ending with information about the events that had happened since. Mei was gaping at him excessively when he had finished and rushed forward to embrace Kendall.

"Kendall..." she sighed. "I... I can't believe all that happened to you and... and..." She gasped in horror. "...wh- where is Shelby now? She's been the victim of this too. Did she survive the sinkhole fall?"

"Tyler took her back to her house, so we don't exactly know."

"Take me there. Now."

Even though she had only been friends with the Rangers for a short time, Chase could tell that Mei was someone they could trust, someone who would always protect her new friends. She was a valuable asset to their team, despite not being an actual Ranger, and as he led both Kendall and Mei back toward Shelby's house, he hoped to the extreme that Tyler's girlfriend was okay, that she had survived the fall so everyone could have their best friend back.

Finally, they arrived.

"Tyler!" Kendall called, feeling a bit uncertain when there was no answer. She yelled out a few more times and still got no reply before she turned to Chase. "They have to be here. I'm going to the back."

That's where she found Tyler and the rest of the Rangers, except for Zenowing. But when she discovered them, they all seemed to be knocked out, sprawled out in the grass of the backyard. It seemed extremely peculiar. However, as soon as she realized something in her mind, her face went white and she stumbled backward.

"Are you alright?" asked Mei, who had just come up behind her. Chase looked confused as well. She gestured to their unconscious companions on the ground, but what she was going to reveal next was about to horrify them all.

"It's just like what happened to me before." She took a deep breath. "Sh- Shelby's missing!"


	33. Chapter 33- New Ranger, New Ally, Part I

"Shelby's... missing?" Mei recoiled as Kendall delivered the news. "It- it's just like you..."

Kendall glared at her. "Yeah, thanks for bringing that up," she muttered.

"How are we supposed to find Shelby now?" Chase wondered. "I have to stay with Kendall and I don't know how much ground Mei can cover-"

"Uh, Chase..." Mei stuttered as she pointed to one of his pockets. It was glowing. When Chase reached inside, he realized too late that he had slipped the purified Dark Energem in there. He pulled it out and held it up to the air, where it was shimmering in an unnatural blue-gold light.

"Interesting..." Mei reached out to touch it and Chase let her. However, as soon as she pulled it from his grasp, it shot a bright blue light at her, lifting her off her feet and enveloping her inside it.

"Mei!" Chase ran forward, but as soon as it had started, it ended. The light disappeared and Mei landed back on her feet. Kendall and Chase gaped at her, which was something she didn't understand.

"N- no way!" Kendall cried.

"What is it?" Then Mei looked down at herself.

 _She had turned into the Talon Ranger._

"I thought that Ranger had been lost forever when the Talon Energem became the Dark Energem," Kendall said in wonder.

"I'm- a Ranger?" Mei gasped in surprise. "But... how?"

"The Energem chose you," Chase proclaimed. "When we disposed of its dark energy, it could be bonded to someone again. And... yeah."

Kendall smiled. "This is amazing."

The Talon Ranger nodded before demorphing and holding up the blue and gold Energem into the light. "Let's go get Shelby."

Heart pounding, Shelby darted through the wilderness until she could no longer hear the sound of running footsteps behind her in the darkening forest.

 _I can't believe someone just suddenly attacked us! But I am glad I got away before I got knocked out like them._

She had to move on. They had stopped by the lab way beforehand because Keeper had some big news. He told all of them that the reporter they had met, Mei, was actually a warrior who had been selected to be the Talon Ranger. If she got near the Energem, that is. But now she had no time to be excited. Heck, she wasn't even able to see her again until she had time to double back and catch up to Kendall, Chase, and Mei, if they were all together.

"Aah!" Shelby moaned as her foot caught on a root and she stumbled. She hadn't seen who had attacked them, but she was lucky to have woken up before then so she could escape.

Suddenly, her Dino-Com vibrated in her pocket. She held it up in front of her with a shaking hand.

"Shelby, get back here!" The Pink Ranger recoiled as Kendall's face slid into view. "Where are you?"

"We were attacked!" she snapped, leaning back against a tree. "I had to get away."

"There's no one in sight now though. You can come home now."

"I- I don't know where I am though... I just had to get away from the city!" She took a deep breath. "Kendall, they were after me."

"Shelby, where exactly are you at this moment?" Her heart leaped as she heard Mei's voice as well and the Talon Ranger, morphed, slid into the screen, prompting Kendall to move aside.

"Uh, I just told you I didn't know."

"I meant you need to shift the camera to your surroundings so we can see where you are."

Shelby did as Mei told her.

"I know where you are."

"You do?!" chorused Kendall and Chase from off-screen.

Mei swiveled her head toward them for a moment, then turned back. "Stay where you are. We're on our way." The Dino-Com screen blurred and went dark. Shelby replaced the device in her pocket and closed her eyes.

"Breathe, Shelby, breathe," she whispered to herself, sliding to the ground against the tree. The sky had gone purple above her.

"But for how much longer?"

Her head snapped up and then she felt herself hit the ground. Pain thundered through her skull.

 _What is going on?_

"When you vanquished Henry, you shouldn't have thought this wasn't over," a gruff voice roared.

 _They were working for him? This can **not** be happening!_

Now Shelby was angry. She pulled herself up, only to discover she was facing about 5 cloaked men and one woman, armed with weapons and furious glares. She reached for her morpher, but the woman pulled a gun from her belt and aimed it right at her.

"Don't even think about it, Pink Ranger," she snarled, walking forward until the gun was pressed against Shelby's chest. "You're coming with us. We have some business with your precious Kendall before she dies."

"Kendall is not going to die!" Shelby growled.

"So Henry never poisoned her before he was killed?" Without letting go of the gun, she smirked at her, then let her expression harden into a dangerous gaze. "You know I'm right, Watkins. And we know where she is."

"Cassandra, we need to go," one of the men pointed out.

"Chill, Spike." She looked at Shelby. "Come. Now."

Frightened as she felt the men surround her, Shelby followed the woman as she weaved in and out of the trees and it was completely dark by the time they reached the city. No one was out on the streets. They finally made it to Shelby's house. Cassandra took control of the Pink Ranger and led her out to the back. The other Rangers were gone.

"Give your Dino-Com," she ordered.

Shelby took it out and handed it to her. She turned it on and pressed a button. Kendall's face appeared and she narrowed her eyes when she saw Cassandra. "Who are you?"

"My name is Cassandra. I work for the one named Henry that you destroyed." She turned the camera over to Shelby. "I have your friend here and you must be back here in less than an hour or she will be dead in seconds."

"No..." Kendall was cut off as the Dino-Com was switched off and replaced in Shelby's pocket. As soon as that was done, Cassandra pulled Shelby close to her and then slammed her into the ground. She was taller than the Ranger, after all, so that made it easier.

"Cameron, get over here." As one of the tall people lowered their hood, Shelby saw that they were really a girl too, with black hair that blended in with the night.

"Stab her," Cassandra ordered.

Cameron brandished a knife from her belt, but as she raised it, her mocha-colored hand began to quiver and she lowered it again.

"I'm tired of this, Cassandra," she muttered. "We've been hunting her down for so long, but I know she doesn't deserve this. I will befriend the Rangers." Then she did something astonishing. She struck Cassandra with blue lightning from her hands.

"What?" Shelby gaped at her.

Cameron turned to face her. "Heckyl gave me some of his power," she sighed. "I lived on Sentai 6 for a while before he was struck with the evil Talon Energem and I left. Speaking of, has anyone managed to purify it yet?"

"We have, actually." Shelby smiled. "Our friend Mei has also bonded to it and become the Talon Ranger."

"That's-" Cameron never got to finish her sentence because Cassandra had at that point gotten up and stabbed her in the shoulder with a knife.

"Stop!" Shelby yelled, grasping the hilt of the knife, yanking it out of Cameron's shoulder, and tossing it at Cassandra.

"Let's get out of here!" she hissed, grabbing Cameron's hand and helping her stand up before they began to make a run for it.

"After them!" Cassandra called. The rest of the men (yes, they were all definitely male) charged after them. But for however long the two girls ran, their pursuers always seemed to have the stamina as well, and their targets were running out of it.

"I don't know how much longer I can do this." Cameron gritted her teeth as she spoke and Shelby began to notice that her shoulder was now becoming a bloody mess.

"Then let's find Kendall and-" No sooner had she said those words that she heard her friend's voice up ahead.

"Shelby, you're okay!" The other Rangers, including Zenowing and Mei, were there too.

"I am." Shelby skidded to a stop in front of her, then looked at Cameron, who was breathing heavily. "But Cameron's not. She betrayed Cassandra to join us. She does have power that Heckyl gave her, but we still have Cassandra and her other followers after us."

"Then let's go." Taking the lead, Tyler took off and everyone followed him. They managed to lose Cassandra and double back to Shelby's house to clean Cameron's shoulder. Once they were finished, they all began to settled in the living room. Some of the Rangers sat down on Shelby's couch.

"So let's introduce ourselves with our Ranger colors," Tyler began. "I'm Tyler Navarro, Red Ranger."

Riley caught on. "Riley Griffin, Green Ranger."

"Koda, Blue Ranger."

"Shelby Watkins, Pink Ranger."

"Chase Randall, Black Ranger."

"Sir Ivan, Gold Ranger."

"Kendall Morgan, Purple Ranger."

"James Navarro, Aqua Ranger."

"Prince Phillip III, Graphite Ranger."

"Zenowing, Silver Ranger."

"Mei Lang, Talon Ranger."

Cameron started to smile. "My full name is Cameron Ash."

"So what made you join that woman who captured Shelby?" Chase asked.

"Henry was a good friend of Heckyl's and he was also my cousin," Cameron murmured. "Cassandra was Henry's sister and told me to help avenge him. I had no other family so I didn't know what else to do. I've never killed anyone, but I knew she would've forced me to murder Shelby if we hadn't gotten out of there."

Kendall shuddered. "Were you the ones who attacked the other Rangers?"

Cameron nodded. "I did nothing, but I acted like I was fighting. Tyler could tell I didn't want to fight, so he whispered to me that I could knock him out so I wouldn't be suspected of betrayal."

"Was Cassandra always suspicious of you?" Mei asked.

"Yes, because she could tell I wasn't a killer. That's why she always forced me to do the jobs of hurting others."

"And you did?"

"I never hurt anyone badly, but I had no choice; she would have killed me otherwise."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Kendall opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again before leaning against Chase. Chase gently stroked her hair as she closed her eyes.

"Is Kendall okay?" Cameron inquired.

"She's probably fine," Prince Phillip replied.

"Uh, I'm not so sure." James, who was sitting right next to Chase, was gazing over at Kendall with a worried look in his eyes. "She doesn't look fine."

All of a sudden, Kendall's body convulsed. She fell to the floor, her eyes shooting open as she gasped for breath.

"Kendall!" Cameron went to help her up, but soon realized that she was having trouble breathing.

"We forgot all about the fact that Henry poisoned her!" Riley realized. "Cameron, you know about their technology; is there any way to get it out of her system?"

Cameron stared at them in terror, then took in a deep breath. "There is. And I know."


	34. Chapter 34-New Ranger, New Ally, Part II

"Well then, how do we do it?" Riley was clearly struggling to not panic and same with most of the other Rangers.

"I- I-" Cameron was looking overwhelmed.

"Find Heckyl and bring him here," Chase told Shelby and Tyler. "I think he'll be able to calm Cameron down."

"G-get a knife," Cameron choked out as they left. "He- he has one.

They were considerably right, but as Shelby raced out the door with Tyler by her side, she began to think that this was going to be extremely close. It was pretty easy to find him, mainly because he had almost come straight to them.

"Cameron needs you!" Shelby snapped. Heckyl didn't wait for any more, but he followed them. When they got back to the house, they could see that Cameron had pulled some strange device out of her pocket, one that looked like a pistol with a syringe attached to it. On her orders, Heckyl handed her his knife.

"Wait, do you know what she's going to do?" James questioned. Heckyl nodded.

Cameron took a deep breath, then placed the front part of her device on Kendall's left shoulder and pushed a button. The injured girl's body glowed with a purple light for a moment, then all the purple began to move towards the device, as if it were being sucked into it. But it wasn't. It just stayed there.

"That's the poison," Cameron explained. She looked up at the other Rangers with sad eyes. "You might not like what I need to do next, but you need to trust that I know what I'm doing."

Everyone looked at Heckyl.

"I trust you, Cameron."

Cameron sucked in another deep breath, clutching her device tightly in her hand as she moved it away. All of a sudden, she quickly raised the knife above her head with the other hand and stabbed it into Kendall's shoulder, right where the purple glow had gathered. Blood streamed out and Shelby cried into Tyler's arms as she turned away from it. Riley, on instinct, rushed out of the room to get some supplies. Koda and Chase, on the other hand, didn't understand what Cameron was doing.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Chase roared.

"Chill, dude!" Tyler murmured at him in a cracked voice, though he could barely hear the Red Ranger over Shelby's sobs. "She's taking all of it out."

Once more, Cameron pressed the strange device against Kendall's shoulder, managing to stay calm even as the other girl writhed in pain beneath her. When she pressed the button again, it began filling up with the bright purple poison. When at last it was full, she removed it, then dropped it and the knife on the floor and pushed her hands against it, letting the blue light creep up her arms that let everyone know she was healing her. Shelby's crying began to quiet down as Tyler held her closer to him and whispered soothing words into her ear.

The agonized wails coming from Kendall began to quiet down too and she then sat up, staring straight at Cameron.

"Th- thank you," she whispered. But now, Cameron wasn't looking too good. Her dark skin had become become a bit more pale than usual and as she stood up again, she was swaying on her feet. Then, suddenly, she fainted.

"Cameron!" Heckyl gasped.

 _She's exhausted,_ the Rangers realized. _She saved Kendall's life._

"Get her on the couch," Mei ordered. "She'll be okay."

"How do you know?" Riley snapped.

"Because the same thing happened to my cousin when we were younger."

Heckyl didn't ask, but he gently wrapped his arms around Cameron's body and lifted her onto the couch.

"I'll go get some supplies from ," Shelby exclaimed.

"And I'll come with you," Kendall added.

"Absolutely not!" Chase growled, blocking her from going to Shelby. "There is no way we're letting you out of the house right now. And frankly, I don't think you should go either!" he added to Shelby. "You've both been through a lot and there's someone that wants to kill you badly."

Shelby lifted her chin defiantly. "In case you didn't notice, hiding didn't do us much good before. I say we just go on with our lives and keep a sharp lookout."

Chase narrowed his eyes. "Okay, Shelby, you can go. But Kendall, I want you to stay here."

"Shelby can't go on her own though," Kendall objected.

"I'll be fine." Shelby rolled her eyes as she spoke.

Chase, Riley, Prince Phillip, Tyler, and Ivan all glared at her.

"Keep your Dino-Com on," Riley warned. "And if anything- and I mean _anything-_ suspicious happens, call us right away."

"I'm still not comfortable with you going out on her own," Tyler sighed. "Who knows what could happen to you out there? Even if you were just going to the store... you could be killed out there."

Shelby let out a huge breath. "Fine, you can come."

"Thank you." Tyler smiled warmly at her as they walked out the door on the way to the store. For some reason, everyone had preferred walking to driving these days.

However, Tyler had been right to be worried. Cassandra no longer wanted Kendall. She wanted Shelby. She wanted her to die, as painfully as possible. But, with her boyfriend along too, it wasn't going to be too easy. She smirked as she watched them afar from her hiding place, quietly cocking her gun in her hands. When she had shot Kendall before, the bullet had gotten stuck on her and Chase had managed to remove it. Somehow, she had survived everything. She wouldn't make the same mistake with the Pink Ranger.

Cassandra followed them for a while, until the roads were completely deserted. She held the gun up to her head, carefully aiming at her target.

Suddenly, Shelby and Tyler both began to look around themselves. Cassandra ducked down into a bush and they fortunately never saw her. She resumed her original position and adjusted her aim. The goal wasn't to kill her right away, but to put her in as much pain as she could before she died.

 _Enjoy these special moments with him,_ she thought as she watched Tyler gently kiss her on the cheek. _Because they will be your last._

And she fired.

 _YES!!_

Cassandra has hit her mark. The bullet zipped toward Shelby and tore through her body immediately. Blood spattered across the ground as she collapsed. But Cassandra didn't have much time to enjoy the moment.

"I KNOW IT'S YOU, CASSANDRA!!" he snarled. "SHOW YOURSELF!"

Laughing hysterically, she crept out of the shadows.

"HOW DARE YOU?!"

"She deserved it," the woman chuckled.

"NEVER!"

Cassandra laughsd even more. "You won't kill me, Red Ranger. I'll kill myself first, having the happy vision in my mind of Shelby alone in hell."

"YOU LITTLE-!"

She backflipped our of his way, pressing he own gun against the side of her head.

"They'll all come," she gasped out through laughter. "All of them. If Shelby survives somehow, Michaela will lead her family to kill both her and Kendall."

Then it was over. She had killed herself.

Tyler knew nothing but terror as he gazed down at his girlfriend. _I need to do something!!!_

 **(Cliffhanger, haha sorry)**


	35. Chapter 35- Beginning Of The End

_I can't believe this is happening! I... I want to kill Cassandra myself, but... I can't... OH NO!_

Kendall howled in anguish as she reached Tyler and fell to her knees beside Shelby's body. She was still breathing, but Kendall knew that she probably wouldn't survive what had just happened. When she felt the bloody wound, she could tell the bullet hadn't stopped there. It had torn through her completely.

Then a sudden thought rushed through her.

 _If Cameron and Heckyl can each heal immense wounds, maybe... maybe they can save her together! But Cameron is exhausted... I need to save her myself._

Tyler threw himself down beside Kendall as the sheer reality of the situation began to sink in. Then a bright flash appeared behind the two of them and both Heckyl and Cameron appeared.

"Cameron, you're okay!" Tyler sighed.

"Heckyl helped me. But that's not important right now. Move over, guys."

When they did, the two magic people managed to help Shelby.

"Now who's this Michaela?" Tyler asked them.

"Wh- what do you mean?" Cameron stammered, looking terrified.

"Before Cassandra died, she mentioned that Michaela would lead her family to kill both Shelby and Kendall. What did she mean?"

Kendall sucked in a deep breath. "Cameron, do you think it's Michaela Harris?"

"Maybe..."

"She's... my distant cousin."

Cameron gasped. "I... I remember now. She blamed one of her cousins and a friend of hers, she said, for her brother Aaron's death. Then she went crazy and tried to kill her... that was _you?!"_

"Wait, if she's Heckyl's cousin too, are we related? But... he loved me before..."

"I doubt it," Cameron said quickly. "He has no other family but her."

"Michaela won't stop until Shelby and I are both dead," Kendall growled angrily. "I know it for sure. We have to stop her."

"Do you know where she might be?"

"No... I don't."

"What- what's going on?" Shelby groaned, reaching out toward Kendall, who turned back to her.

"Oh god, Shelby..." Kendall sighed. "I'm so glad you're okay. That was so terrifying..."

"What?"

"Hey, what is going on here?" James gasped as he and the rest of the Rangers, except for Chase and Mei, came running up beside them. "Are you guys okay?"

Kendall took a deep breath and as her friends gathered around her, she told them what had happened, including when Cassandra had shot Shelby and then killed herself.

"We need to find Michaela and her family," she finished breathlessly as she helped Shelby up. "She's the key to the rest of this. Kill her and our troubles will be over."

"Oh, you don't need to find us," some voices snarled from behind them. They all spun around to see a girl with tan skin and dark red hair holding a knife, surrounded by about eleven men and women, all of the same large size. "We've already found you."

And, before any of them could stop her, she lunged at Kendall.

 **((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((**

Meanwhile, Chase and Mei had gone in a different direction in their search for Shelby. However, as soon as an earsplitting scream rang out through the air, they automatically turned toward the sound.

"Th- that was Kendall," Mei stammered. "I recognize her voice."

"Come with me then." Chase started to run and the Talon Ranger followed close behind as he darted through the woods until at last they reached a clump of bushes. The Black Ranger tentatively went through them and then halted, shocked by the sight in front of him. Kendall was in the middle of it, being held down on the ground by an enraged girl. The rest of the Rangers and Cameron and Heckyl were being held back by similar-looking men and women that were desperately attempting to get to her, except for Shelby, who was unconscious in the arms of one of the women. Chase's instincts took over immediately and he raced toward his girlfriend. The girl looked at him and pulled Kendall up off the ground, imprisoning her in her arms and pressing the knife against her neck. He skidded to a stop in front of her.

"Don't move!" Cameron called to him. "Michaela's going to kill her if you try anything!"

But what none of them knew was that Mei had left him and was sneaking around the perimeter. One day a reporter, the next a Power Ranger, she was already adapting to it quickly. But she hadn't seen the knife. Fortunately, though, when she charged at Michaela, making her drop the knife, it didn't hit any of them. Michaela dropped Kendall quickly and rolled to the side, slamming both fists into Mei's stomach. She collapsed, the wind knocked out of her, but the distraction had given Kendall time to get up and run over to Chase. It was then that he noticed that she had been cut and the wound in her shoulder had been slightly opened up again.

"Are you okay?" he whispered.

"I- I think so."

"Wait, what about-?" They turned just as Mei got up from the ground. For a moment, it looked as if Michaela had disappeared. But then she was back in the middle, this time dragging Shelby and bracing herself to stab her weapon through the unconscious Pink Ranger's heart.

"Shelby!" they cried simultaneously, rushing toward her. Michaela stabbed the knife down, but not fast enough. Chase yanked it out of her hand quickly enough so the tip only nicked Shelby's chest and Kendall speedily thrust out a leg and roundhouse-kicked her to the ground. Then she turned just in time to catch Shelby as she fell.

"Is she okay?" Chase asked.

"I think so." Quickly, Kendall threw out a short explanation about what had happened before, but it might have taken too long. Michaela took a longer, sharper dagger from her belt and pounced on them, knocking both the Purple and Pink Rangers to the ground. She went after Kendall first, smashing her into the pavement. Chase started toward her, but Kendall shook her head. "Don't worry about me right now! You and Mei get Shelby to safety first; "

Mei shuffled over to him, nodding. Taking her lead, he picked up Shelby's limp body from the ground and retreated back into the bushes, placing her down beside the Talon Ranger.

"Take care of her," he murmured before running back to the scene. Michaela was running her knife along Kendall, not noticing Chase creeping up behind her. But then, the guy holding Koda back pointed him out and she plunged the weapon into Kendall's thigh. With a roar, Tyler, Heckyl, and and James grabbed the knives from the men holding them and slashed them through their throats, then charged at her with Chase. Michaela was too clever though. She called the woman forward who had knocked out Shelby before and sent her against them. Then she went back to her self-appointed mission.

"I can't wait to do this to you," she hissed. "And right under the faces of your friends. And when you're gone, I'll kill little Shelby Watkins as well. Neither of you will ever again see the light of day." Michaela smiled wickedly. "Goodbye, Kendall Morgan."


	36. Chapter 36- Final Defeat

When Michaela's words reached the Rangers' ears, they really began to fight. Most of them managed to slit the throats of their captors, the others crippled them so badly they wouldn't live for much longer, and rushed to help fight the woman. She was fighting as hard as she could, but eventually she was overpowered and killed.

"You little-!" Michaela cursed as she suddenly stabbed Kendall in the stomach and threw her towards her friends, then dove into the bushes. Too late, they realized what was happening. Chase stayed with Kendall, trying to stem the bleeding of her wounds, while the rest of them charged in Michaela's direction. But by the time they got there, Mei had been knocked out and stabbed in the shoulder and Shelby was currently held down by Michaela. Ivan went over to help Mei, but the rest of them stayed still. The point of Michaela's knife was already piercing through Shelby's arm. She wanted to savor the moment. Shelby had just woken up from unconsciousness and stared up at her attacker with terror in her eyes.

"Michaela, why are you doing this?" Cameron gasped out. "Kendall might have accidentally done something you didn't like, but Shelby did nothing to you! Why are you hurting her? And Mei... you didn't even know she was part of our team until today." She cast a glance over at Ivan, who was carefully covering up the wound on Mei's shoulder.

"Your friend shouldn't have tried to stop me," Michaela growled. "And Shelby was there. She defended her. I will kill both of them... and there's nothing you can do to stop me." Without hesitating, she slashed the knife deep into Shelby's arm.

"NO!!" Tyler ran forward, but Michaela was fast and quickly plunged the dagger through Shelby's chest before she sprang away again, taking the bloody weapon with her. Shelby let out a cry of agony that echoed throughout the woods and Tyler threw himself down beside her, sobbing.

"Out of the way!" Cameron and Heckyl then pushed their way through the Rangers and dashed over to them. Tyler moved away slightly as they began to use their powers again, tears streaming down his face.

"Wait a minute..." Then it struck Riley that Michaela had disappeared. "Chase!" he called to him. "Be careful; she's going after Kendall again!"

A loud snarl told them that she had already gotten to them. Simultaneous cries of anguish from both the Black and Purple Rangers said that she had hurt one of them. Another shout from Kendall, worried them, as it said that she could have been knocked out or possibly killed. With a few of them hurt and being taken care of and with Tyler in the state he was in, the fighting team had dwindled down to Riley, Koda, Prince Phillip, Chase, James, and Zenowing. The rest of them regrouped with Chase, standing in front of Kendall's body, shielding her from Michaela. Chase carefully slipped the rest of them their Energems and the six of them morphed. Michaela took a step back, a touch of surprise flashing across her face, then narrowed her eyes.

"Please," she muttered. "You think you can outwit me? I've been using your friends against you. Even with Heckyl and Cameron helping you, they can't delay the inevitable. Step aside. Make me not have to hurt you like I did your other friend."

"No chance," Koda snapped menacingly. "Now go away and leave Kendall alone."

"And why would I do that? There's absolutely nothing you could say to me that would make me."

With astonishing height, she suddenly jumped, going high over the Rangers and landing perfectly next to Kendall. Chase ran forward instantly, but as soon as he reached them, Michaela once again put her knife against Kendall's throat.

"Do anything to me," she hissed, "and she goes down with me."

But Chase wasn't entirely thinking straight. If he didn't help her soon, she'd eventually die of blood loss and besides, she seemed too weak to fight back at the moment.

Then something unexpected happened. Despite her damaging injuries, Kendall suddenly bunched her legs up under herself and slammed her feet into Michaela's chest, pushing her off of her, before falling back again.

"How dare you!" she yelled furiously, rage blooming through her. Chase was at Kendall's side in a millisecond, but now Michaela was more mad than ever. She threw herself toward them again, but by now, Kendall had become fearless. She leapt to her feet and lunges toward Michaela, landing on top of her and wrestling her for the knife. Angrily, Michaela kept stabbing at her, but she was unable to get a blow in. Eventually, Kendall got hold of the knife and slashed it through Michaela's neck. However, just before she died, she retaliated, the weapon slicing neatly through her target, opening up her wounds even deeper. Kendall screamed in pain as she crumpled to the ground.

"Kendall!" Chase shouted in shock. "Ivan!" he called to him through his Dino-Com. "I need Cameron or Heckyl here now!"

"In a moment!" Ivan shot back. "Lady Shelby is very weak right now and Lady Mei is still under. Cameron will be over in a minute if we can spare her."

"Well hurry, unless you want Kendall to die."

In a little while, Cameron was rushing over to him, muttering under her breath as she knelt down beside Kendall. A few moments after that, Heckyl followed. Chase stood up uneasily and darted back to the bushes to take in the scene there. Ivan was still beside Mei, guarding her. Tyler was holding Shelby gently in his arms and Chase quietly walked over to him.

"Is she doing okay?" he questioned, kneeling beside the Red Ranger. Shelby winced as she looked at him.

"I- I don't know," Tyler whispered. "They may have healed her, but she still seems to be in a lot of pain. Michaela must have cut her deeper than we thought... but if anything was broken or destroyed inside her, we won't know by just looking at her."

"Then let's get her to a hospital as soon as we can. Cameron and Heckyl can heal, but this is out of their hands. Is Mei alright?"

"We don't know. She's still unconscious, but we may want to take them together so Mei can get checked out. Is Kendall alright?"

"Heckyl and Cameron are helping her now. However, I could tell Michaela hadn't cut her deep enough to break anything inside her. After they heal her, she just needs a good rest and she'll be fine." He took a deep breath. "I'm so sorry about Shelby..."

Tyler sighed. "It's not your fault. I'm just glad Kendall's okay so you can be happy."

"I wish this had never happened at all. With everything that's occurred... from Prince Phillip, Riley, Koda, and Shelby being controlled and attacking Kendall... then Heckyl's attempts to trap her and kill her, then the continuous attacks on Kendall and Shelby and when Kendall died..." He shivered. "That was terrifying. But I'm glad we were able to bring her up. Then came Mei joining the team and Cameron teaming up with us to help and now..." He surveyed his friends as they joined him. James looked over them with uncertainty in his eyes, watching his son care for his girlfriend.

"I know," Tyler murmured. "But... everything's going to be okay. At least I hope..." Mei was beginning to stir next to Ivan and Shelby leaned closer into the Red Ranger.

Then Cameron breathlessly burst through to them. Heckyl came behind her, holding Kendall gently. But no sooner had she come in, she Cameron collapsed to the ground, rapid breaths escaping her.

"This has a bigger effect on her than me," Heckyl explained as he carefully handed Kendall to Chase. She was no longer unconscious and gazed up at her boyfriend with a slight smile on her face. Chase noticed that Tyler looked sad as he glanced at her and then back at Shelby, who still had the same pained expression.

"Don't worry," Kendall whispered to them. She wriggled away from Chase and sat up on the ground, reaching out to gently grasp Shelby's hand in her own. "She will be okay. You know Heckyl and Cameron work magic."

Tyler shook his head. "It's not that easy now." He stood up, forcing Kendall to release Shelby's hand, and slowly began to leave the group, disappearing into the woods in the direction back to town.

"I can tell he needs time," James voiced. "He cares for her very much."

Mei blinked at them confusedly as she quickly regained consciousness. "Can someone fill me in on what's happened? All I remember is Michaela attacking me..."

"It'll be fine, Lady Mei," Ivan told her. She leaned against him and he added, "Michaela is gone."

Chase wrapped his arms around Kendall as he glanced at the Gold and Talon Rangers. _Now that the threats have all been defeated... maybe now we can finally have some peace before the next one arrives._


	37. Chapter 37- Rebuilding Begins

Tyler ran like his life depended on it as he weaved through the woods, holding his love tightly in his arms. Shelby moaned in pain every time he leaped over a root, but he honestly didn't care. It was her life that was depending on this. Whatever had broken inside of her was clearly hurting her really bad and he didn't know how much time it would give her.

"Shelby, just hold on," he kept murmuring to her. "We'll be back there soon."

Then, all of a sudden, a dark shape came flying out of nowhere toward him, slamming into him and knocking the breath out of him as both he and Shelby fell to the ground. _What is that?_

In an instant, he knew. The one villain they hadn't defeated. The only one who hadn't been destroyed when the ship crashed.

 _Snide!_

And there he was, sword raised, eyes glowing, hatred radiating off of him. He was stalking toward Shelby, who lay a few yards away from Tyler. She was only half-conscious and even if she hadn't been, she was unable to defend herself in any way. At least, that's how it looked.

"Leave her alone!" Tyler snarled. "Fight me!"

Snide glared at him as he got up and rushed over to Shelby, shielding her from the villain.

"Why should I?" he growled back. "The Pink Ranger is weakened enough to be at my mercy. Her Energem will be mine!"

"We don't even have our Energems! And besides, it isn't even a fair fight. Battle me instead!"

Laughing, Snide lowered his sword for a moment. "Oh, I will battle you. And then as soon as you are subdued or distracted, I will kill your precious pink girl here. Oh, how her screams of agony will be music to my ears before her heart stops forever. She'll be too weak to even lift a finger against me."

Hearing him talk about Shelby like that enraged Tyler. Without thinking, he charged at him, morphing on the way and lifting his Dino Blaster.

But Snide seemed to have grown stronger than ever since his last battle with the Rangers. Tyler morphed right before his opponent's sword slashed across his chest. Fortunately, he managed to hold on to his morph in time to dodge another blow.

 _I have to stay in front of Shelby,_ he realized quickly. _If not, Snide could kill her easily._ Without her, he felt like his life wouldn't have any more meaning to it.

 _Wait... I need to get her out of here._

But to his dismay, he noticed that while he had been getting out of Snide's way, Shelby had gotten to her feet, swaying as she tried to take a step. As she did, she grimaced in pain, clutching her stomach. She didn't hesitate and morphed, which seemed to give her more strength. But they both knew it wasn't enough.

"Too weak to even lift a finger, huh?" she challenged. "I'll show you who's weak."

Then a pink blur flashed through the air as Shelby charged at Snide, then made a flying leap toward him with her Dino Sword in hand. However, despite her great speed, he still knew where and when her blow was going to land. Right before she was about to hit him, he flew into a backflip and sliced his sword in an arc through the air, throwing a bright red 'rope of fire' at her. It wrapped around her waist, pulling her down to the ground and dissipating her morph. Shelby gasped as it quickly began to coil around her body, sending stabs of pain shooting through her. It was like it was actual fire and no matter what, she couldn't break free. Snide laughed as he watched her writhing in agony.

"Tyler!" she wailed as the laceration intensified. "Tyler, where are you?"

It tore the Red Ranger apart to see her like that and he sprang toward Snide, intent on destroying him and setting Shelby free. Eventually, he succeeded, but strangely, it didn't free his girlfriend. Heart racing, he scrambled over to her and carefully took out his Dino Sword again. It was the only thing he could use for it. With no hesitation, he clipped the ropes to pull them off of her... and then gasped.

The fire ropes had slashed deep into her skin, leaving many cuts that bled hard. Tyler was trying hard not to panic and now, with no Heckyl or Cameron around, he was only more determined to get to the hospital in time... or at least get to a place with decent cell service so he could call them as soon as he reached it.

"Just hold on, Shelby," he whispered to her as he lifted her into his arms and stood up. "We have to go."

 **((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((**

"Where's Tyler?" Kendall groaned as she got enough breath to speak again.

"He took off with Shelby," Chase explained. "I think he was taking her to the hospital; she's hurt deeper than Cameron and Heckyl's powers can heal."

"That bad?" Mei stood up and limped over to the two of them with Ivan by her side. "Michaela must have really hated her more than Kendall."

"Who cares about Michaela anymore?" Kendall snapped. "She's dead. But right now we know Shelby's in pain, Mei can barely walk, Tyler's upset, and Cameron's exhausted." As she was speaking, Heckyl knelt down next to Cameron, rubbing her chest carefully.

"She'll be okay," he proclaimed. "This hadn't happened as many times before she joined the team, but it's fine."

"How long you and Cameron know each other?" Koda asked him.

"Many years. We were best friends until we gained our powers by accident. She wasn't thinking straight and blamed me for it, so we parted ways. But we made amends a while later... soon before Snide became a part of my life."

Then Chase's Dino-Com beeped. The Black Ranger pulled it out of his pocket and Tyler's face stared up at him.

"Guys, we were just attacked," he panted, "by Snide." He was bruised and looked as if he'd been fighting. "Shelby was wounded, but I destroyed him. I'm going to call the hospital now. She needs help."

"Call us right after," Kendall exclaimed.

"Will do."

After he hung up, Chase gently helped Kendall to her feet and steadied her. She threw her arms around him, shivering as she thought of Shelby's near-death accident with Cassandra. They both had gone through so much.

But so had the team.

So had them all.

Mei, Cameron, and Heckyl were part of the team now.

And if any trouble came to them again, they would fight it.

Together.

But first, they needed to _make sure_ everything would be all right.


	38. Chapter 38- Rise And Fall Reverse

For a while, everything seemed all right with the team. Mei and Cameron were settling in nicely, Kendall was steadily recovering from the shock of Michaela's attack, and the café was getting back on track.

But there were two people who still threw everything off course. For starters, Tyler was still trying to get over the assault on his own girlfriend.

But then there was Shelby herself.

Soon, she was in worse danger than anyone could have ever imagined. The breaks inside her had somehow damaged her heart and she'd been in the hospital for over two months while it was being fixed. But even though the breaks were fixed, her heart was still in great peril and she was in horrible agony almost every single day. Once Tyler had gotten to know, which was about a few weeks after she had come there, he had been allowed to move into a staying room at the hospital. He visited her every day as much as he can, but it always ended with her having to be knocked out after the spasms hit her. Every night, he'd end up sobbing in his room as he remembered the attack that had left Shelby like this. A couple times a week, the other Rangers, a few at a time, would visit him as well, trying desperately to comfort him and taking a quick trip to his sleeping girlfriend's room as well.

However, it didn't always help. As Shelby grew weaker and weaker, Tyler became more and more depressed. His dad could sometimes provide good comfort to him, but it would disappear as soon as he left. Shelby succumbed to a terrible sickness that came with her heart problem. She no longer recognized the Rangers when they came, not even Tyler. Most of all, it always seemed like she couldn't get any worse.

But one day, Chase went back to the café at a time after it closed, looking for his hat that he'd left, only to find Kendall crying on the floor behind the counter. He could tell that she'd lost control again. She knew she was no longer like the fierce, formidable mentor they all knew her to be, but she always felt like she still had to hide her emotions until she was alone.

"Um... are you okay?"

She jumped, startled, as she turned back to him. "Hey... wait, what are you doing here? You... you should be with the others at Riley's..."

"Look, I know you sleep in the lab, but why come up here in the first place?"

"Don't forget, Zenowing and Keeper are there too. I can't let them see me like this." Kendall shuddered.

"Kendall..." Chase got down on the floor beside her and she fell into his arms like a rag doll. "I know it hurts. And I know what you're thinking right now. But you didn't have a part in what happened to Shelby at all. Whatever happened back then with Michaela... she defended you because you guys were close back then, more so than ever. It was because of that fact that she wanted to kill her as well as you."

"And she might succeed!" Kendall gasped tearfully. "I hate that she was my cousin, but even though she's dead now... she hurt Shelby enough that she could die too! If I hadn't needed her to defend me, she'd be fine now."

"But she will be fine!" Chase protested.

"Chase, I've seen her already!" she retorted, sitting up. "She'd be better off dead than where she is!"

"Oh no, don't say that!" The Black Ranger recoiled in horror. "She deserves to live a good life, free from whatever plagues her now. She doesn't need to be killed just because of something she chose to do."

"She may not deserve it, but she does deserve to be free." Kendall shakily got to her feet and attempted to wipe the tears off her face. "I'm going to see Tyler."

"Why?"

"He's depressed, Chase. He's barely eating and the worse Shelby gets, the worse he gets as well. Sooner or later, both of them will end up in the hospital."

"Don't, Kendall. You're already fragile enough right now and this will break you."

"He's right." The two of them turned to see Heckyl striding up to them. "I've been here all day and I heard your conversation just now. You are not going to that place."

"Yes, I am!" Kendall yelled hotly. "I care about them both and I won't let them go easily." She rushed forward, straight toward Heckyl.

Then Heckyl felt a power surge inside him, which usually happened during strong emotions. He wasn't letting her go, no matter what. He wouldn't let her be broken any more than she already was.

"Kendall, STOP!" Heckyl threw his hands out in front of him and a bright blue light suddenly lit up the room. Chase covered his eyes until he was sure it was gone. The sound of a crash rang through the air and he quickly opened them.

The Purple Ranger lay motionless on the floor next to the wall, her eyes tightly closed.

"Heckyl, what have you done?" Chase shouted in surprise, charging over to his girlfriend. "Kendall!"

"D- don't worry, I'm okay," Kendall murmured back, slowly opening her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm so sorry I had to hurt you," Heckyl sighed, stepping back from them. "I should go."

Before Chase or Kendall could speak again, he had left, finally going back in the direction of the hospital.

 **(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((**

Tyler took a deep breath as he slowly crumpled onto his bed, pondering over the events of the day. He hadn't even eaten since the morning; he'd been with Shelby the whole day.

She still hasn't gotten any better, but thank god she hasn't gotten any worse.

He had to go see her again. He had to stay with her. Just in case.

 _Just in case... I have to say goodbye._

He immediately got up and darted out of his room, quietly making straight for his girlfriend's. It was just a feeling, but he was sure there was a possibility of something going wrong during the night. If there was... he wanted to be there.

 _I know now that I can't live without her._

When he finally got there, he walked right in without knocking.

She was there, still laying on the bed, still looking to be in as much pain as she was before. Even though she kept having the seizures and spasms, she had never actually woken up and he hurt every moment he looked at her.

"Shelby, can you please wake up?" he whispered to her, reaching forward to grasp her cold hand. "Do it for me. Do it for your friends. Do it for our new team members. Just stay with us."

His eyes burned with tears. "Can I handle this?" he wondered. "The possibility that she might... die?"

 _"Tyler?"_

His head snapped up. The voice was extremely faint, but it still reached his ears. _Shelby!_

"Shelby, you're alive!" Tyler ran for the door. "We need a doctor in here!" he called. "She's woken up!"

When he went back to her, he sat on the bed beside her, trying to calm himself. "I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you from Snide..."

"It's okay," Shelby croaked. She tried to move one of her arms, but they were secured to the bed, on account of all the times she had been thrashing around. "Can- can you get these off of me?"

"Not yet." Tyler shook his head. "Not until we make sure you're okay if you even are."

"They did surgery on me," she told him. "I've been in a coma for a while, I think. My dreams and nightmares have all been filled with pain and I've been trapped in it."

"I have to go," Tyler said quickly. "I'll explain later, but the doctors will be here soon."

"Tyler..." Shelby began to cry as he left the room. Somehow, she knew what he'd been dealing with since she'd been in the hospital and she didn't want to be without him anymore. He slowly went back in as he heard the sound that he couldn't bear. Tyler stayed with her even when the doctors came and stabilized her, never letting go of her right hand except for when the metal band on her wrist was removed. When they finally left again, he was still there. But it was getting very late at night and he needed to call the others. So he stood up straight and turned back to her, taking a deep breath.

"I love you, Shelby Watkins," he breathed softly. "And I'm glad you're okay."

Tyler leaned forward and kissed her deeply on the lips. She wrapped her arms around him, not wanting to let him go.

But soon, she had to.

And then he was gone.


	39. Chapter 39- Leadership

Everyone was so happy that Shelby had woken up. She was released from the hospital a few days later after she had woken up, with all sorts of prescriptions and instructions to Tyler on how to administer the medicines. For a while, it was like everything was normal again.

And then, after a short time of peace, one last bad occurrence hit the team. Mei Lang, the new Talon Ranger, was found knocked out near the end of Amber Beach, shot in the head multiple times and barely alive. Ivan managed to save her by speeding to the hospital in ranger form and bringing her in, soon before the criminal who'd done it was caught and jailed for life. The two of them had fallen in love in the past few weeks and it hurt the Gold Ranger so much. But he was definitely dealing with the pain better than Tyler had been.

Speaking of Tyler, he and Shelby had often been spending long days away from the museum down at the beach. The Red Ranger often told the others that something was wrong; that Shelby didn't seem like herself anymore. At one point, she'd even thrown herself into the waves like Kendall had before, telling her boyfriend later that she wasn't thinking straight when she tried to commit suicide. She'd wanted to escape, to get away from everything. But Tyler had explained to her that he had saved her because he wanted her to stay with him, to be his guide in life. His guardian angel. She steadily agreed, knowing that she'd never want to be away from him again.

The person who was faring worst from everything, however, was Chase. After both Shelby's and Mei's incidents, Kendall had broken down, even trying to kill herself more than once, even when her mind was her own and she was thinking for herself. With Tyler occupied by his own problems, it seemed that the Black Ranger was the team's new leader.

But what was there to lead? Chase has been thinking about that more than ever lately. Ivan wasn't in any condition to fight while he was praying for Mei's life, Tyler or Shelby were too fragile, and Kendall herself was more close to death than any of them when she didn't want to live. If more villains showed up at any time, the team would be more vulnerable than ever.

He walked in on Kendall again soon enough in the kitchen of the Dino Bite Café, rummaging around in the silverware drawer.

"Oh no, no, no," he snapped, slamming the drawer shut as his girlfriend pulled her hands back, glaring at him. "I'm not letting you go so easily. You need to stop trying to kill yourself. One more of these events and I'll need to take you to a therapist."

Kendall swayed on her feet for a moment, then fell into Chase's arms, sobbing loudly. "But it's so hard not to want to..." She whimpered incoherently as he picked her up and carried her out of the room, all the way to the Dino Lab. The whole time, she never fought. She was torn between wanting to leave the world and having Chase by her side. Life had broken her.

"Is there any way I can help you out of this?" he asked her, setting her down on a counter. "Things should be normal now; I don't understand why you're trying to do anything to yourself now."

"It's too late," she replied, sweeping her long hair out of her face. Her glasses she placed on the counter as she rubbed her eyes gently. "You know what was done to me and I hate it."

"Kendall, you survived death!" Chase snarled at her. "If you can do that, you can do anything. Don't berate yourself from what you've gone through. Mei will be fine soon and Shelby just needs time to get over her own thing. You can help us make the team strong from this. If you can come back from this, it may be easier for the others to come back too."

At that point Kendall seemed to snap out of a spell. The fire faded from her eyes and she took a deep breath. "I- I'll try. For you... and for Shelby, Ivan, and Mei." She shuddered. "Especially Mei."

 **((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((**

Mei looked around the room and sighed. She was ready to go back to the Rangers, but the hospital wasn't releasing her just yet. Being shot in the head hadn't messed up her brain, but the doctors still wanted to run more tests on her to make sure. It was making her extremely restless.

"Lady Mei, are you doing alright?" Ivan inquired as he entered the room, startling his girlfriend. "I heard you will be back soon."

"Yeah, I will," she answered. He sat on the edge of her bed, grasping her hand in his.

"Is your head okay?"

"I think so. But the doctors don't and that's annoying."

"Mei, they were just trying to help you so you don't have to come back here."

"True... wait, what do you mean by _were_?"

"They did a bunch of tests on you while you were asleep. That's the only reason I was allowed to come here; you're being released today."

"Really?" Mei gasped. "That's- that's amazing!" She swung her legs over the side of the bed and wrapped her arms around Ivan, embracing him. He returned it, a smile spreading over his face.

"I'm sorry about everything," he murmured.

"It's fine... I'm just glad everything's alright."

 **))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

It was a hard time and she didn't know what to do.

There _was_ nothing else to do.

Nothing but dwell as she walked along the beach alone.

Shelby shuddered as she thought of the horrible memories that had been brought back to life at the hospital. So much pain. So much betrayal. So much heartache.

Now she was being protected by Tyler. But sometimes, she felt like she didn't _want_ to be protected. At times, she'd considered trying to commit suicide when she was alone again. But it would never work. She had heard that Kendall had tried and failed and how torn up Chase had been when he'd caught her. And she didn't want Tyler to be like how he was at the hospital. If she had died, it seemed he would have killed himself.

 _I won't do that to him again,_ she thought,sitting down at the edge of the water.

"Shelby?"

"Tyler...?" She turned her head, but it wasn't him. In fact, it was his father.

"Hey, how are you feeling right now?" James asked as he went and sat down beside her, careful not to get wet. "Tyler had some business at the café to do, so he wanted me to check on you."

Shelby forced herself to give him a small smile. "Well, tell him I said thanks. But he can be a bit overprotective these days."

"He actually has had a right to be. When you were in the hospital, he nearly lost you."

"What do you mean? I know I almost died, but-"

"According to what the doctor told him, your heart stopped more than once during the night," James said to her. "Luckily, there were always other doctors on hand, but Tyler was almost scared to death when he heard about it in the morning."

"Wait... did that really happen?" The expression on Shelby's face had changed to horror.

"Yes. He was honestly depressed."

Shelby drew in a sharp breath and buried her face in her hands. "I don't want to do that to him though!"

"He cares for you very much. But hopefully, he'll deal with that kind of thing like Ivan did in the future." James patted her on the shoulder and stood up again. "Will you come meet us back at the café for lunch?"

"Of course. Just give me some time." Shelby nodded to him. "Tell Tyler I'll be back soon."


	40. Chapter 40- Starting Over

More excitement than ever followed that night at first. Mei had returned from the hospital, still limping a bit, but otherwise okay. Shelby had come back later though, not seeming too right with herself, and Tyler had immediately gone back to her house with her. The rest of them were celebrating Mei's return, but the Talon Ranger herself was feeling very uncomfortable. She knew how rough the two of them had it and she didn't want to be the center of attention at that point. She confessed that to Ivan and he said he'd go over to make sure they were okay.

But as he walked the distance to the house, he had a chilling suspicion that Shelby hadn't entirely let her mind heal from the incident with Michaela. If she wasn't right in the head, she could be dangerous. However, everything seemed to be alright when he got there and they went back to the Dino Lab with him.

Then they got back... and Mei and Kendall were gone.

"They here when I left!" Ivan snapped at Shelby when she began to accuse him of causing her disappearance. "I don't understand what would have happened..." They turned to the other Rangers, who were looking nervous. "Do you guys know something?"

Riley took a step forward, taking a breath. "Ivan, they went to the restroom a while ago and hasn't come back yet."

"And you didn't think to go check on her to see if something was wrong?" Tyler growled.

"Tyler..."

"Forget it, let's just go get her."

Only Shelby was able to go in there alone, since she had no idea where Kendall was, so that's what she did. Inching forward tentatively, she suddenly gasped, motioning her friends in that direction.

The window of the bathroom had been smashed and glass was scattered on the floor... as well as a puddle of blood. And that blood... was coming from Kendall's body. Mei was leaning over her, frantically covering up the large cut that had been slashed and reopened along her stomach. She drew back when she noticed the Pink Ranger there, her eyes narrowing. A particularly huge shard of glass lay right next to them.

"What happened here?" Chase gasped as he burst in. "Mei, how did this happen?"

The Talon Ranger stared at them until her face suddenly changed to guilt. "I didn't mean for this to happen," she whispered. "We were attacked by one of the last of Michaela's family. Someone came in through the window... and the glass shattered. I used a shard to protect us. But I didn't."

"And they hurt you?" Tyler questioned.

"No!" Mei yelled, swiping a hand across her tearstained face, smearing blood across it. "I wasn't thinking straight. We were attacking her from opposite sides, but just when I was about to hit her, she jumped out the window and killed herself. Instead... I hit Kendall."

"Get Heckyl in here now!" James yelled out to the rest of them. Cameron started forward, but he held her back. "Don't even think about it. You've been doing too much lately."

 **Six hours later...**

Kendall took in a sharp breath as she lay down on her bed. The gash on her stomach has been quickly dealt with, but she was still nervous about what had happened.

"Hello?"

The Purple Ranger looked up as Shelby and Mei tiptoed into her room in the lab. "What are you two doing here?"

"I came to apologize," Mei sighed. "For hurting you earlier."

Blinking, Kendall sat up. "Look, there was no harm done. I'm fine now and I just need to go to bed."

"A-are you sure?"

"Mei, I told you this is what she would say," Shelby breathed. "She doesn't blame you."

"Do you want to stay here with me tonight?" Kendall asked Mei.

"Um..." Mei nervously looked at Shelby. "Is that okay with you? I thought I was sleeping over at your house..."

"It's fine," she replied. "I'll leave you guys here now; Tyler's coming over as well and I can't leave him hanging."

Shelby quickly left the room, turning off the light as she did, and Kendall moved over in the large bed to make room for her Chinese friend.

"So, are you doing alright now that things have cooled down with Michaela?" she whispered, wrapping her arms around the Talon Ranger.

"Not really..." Mei was shaky. "It's not just that incident that's bothering me though." She took in a few rapid breaths. "I was actually glad that I could quit being a reporter to get a job at the museum. There was someone there who hated me and kept abusing me, spreading around to everyone that he was my boyfriend and had a right to force me to be submissive. I'm just worried what he'll do now that I've left."

"Did he force himself on you?"

She hesitated for a second. "Yes."

"Why?"

"Ray was never a supporter of the LGBT community. He found out that I was bisexual and I was on the verge of getting together with another girl named Serena. He spread that story around soon after and Serena eventually moved away. I've lost all contact with her now."

"Oh, Mei..." Kendall pulled her closer to her. "None of that will matter now. The Rangers will always support you. We will die for you if necessary."

"I just don't want to go out right now, not until I find out what will happen."

Kendall smiled. "I told you, it will be fine. Besides, it seems like you're getting a lot closer to Ivan now and I'm sure he will protect you if anything comes up." She nudged her friend teasingly.

Mei rolled her eyes, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. "We're not getting _that_ close."

"Right. Now go to sleep."

The two of them cuddled closer to each other as they fell asleep and night steadily declined into day again. When Kendall woke up, she carefully climbed over Mei and crept out of the room, accidentally bumping into Chase.

"Kendall, how are you up so early?" he wondered.

"Mei and I were talking last night and what she's said is making me nervous." After describing in detail their conversation, Chase immediately began to walk away.

"Hey, hey, where are you going?"

"I am going to call the others. They deserve to know."

"No!" Kendall reached forward and grabbed his arm. "Don't do that! I shouldn't even have told you in the first place!"

"But Kendall..."

"NO!"

"Fine!" Chase wrenched his arm from her grip, only to lean forward and embrace her once more.

"She'll tell the rest of them when she's ready," Kendall murmured.

Eventually... she did.

 **(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((**

Shelby stood at the edge of the quarry cliff, looking out over the landscape in front of her. She teetered precariously on the edge, but in her heart, the Pink Ranger knew she wasn't going to fall.

Carefully, she sat down on the ledge, the ground below her wavering. The colors of the land began to blend in her eyes, the green and brown of the ravine, the pink and orange of the flowers dotting the hills beyond. She reveled in the peace that it brought her. _So beautiful..._

And then Tyler was beside her. "Amazing, huh?"

"Yeah." Shelby let her boyfriend wrap his arms around her as he sat down next to her. "It's a nice change of scenery after... everything that's happened. I honestly can't believe Kendall's survived so much..."

"Me neither." Tyler gave a great sigh. "If she hadn't been the purest of us all... she never would have lived through death like she did."

"But it's over now," Shelby mumbled. "It's all over. Heckyl's possessive demon, Henry, Michaela... they're all gone."

"They may not be the only threats though," Tyler warned her. "There could be more in the future."

"I don't care." His girlfriend grinned. "All that we've gone through has made us stronger. And you know what?"

"What?"

"No matter what, the Rangers will always survive." She pulled him into a deep kiss as they both closed their eyes.


End file.
